The Artist 2: Return
by IceWarrior13
Summary: Sequel to "The Artist". Crossover: "Transformers: Animated" & "Transformers: Prime". The techno-organic known as Jenna Darby died to save Cybertron, fulfilling the prophecy. But Primus is not finished with her, just yet. (AN: being rewritten for better quality)
1. Prologue

**This is the story of the Little Artist. My Little Artist.**

 **Long ago, the Iacon Relics were launched from Cybertron.** **Among them were thousands of protoforms, sent to secure the future of all Cybertronian-kind.**

 **These Relics were sent to Earth, where they were found by humans and infected with their organic material.** **This was the origin of the techno-organics.**

 **One such techno-organic was a girl called** Jenna Darby **, and for the first sixteen stellar-cycles of her life, she thought she was human.** **The Little Artist grew up, eventually encountering Team Prime and partnering up with a Wrecker: Wheeljack. They went on adventures in space and across the Earth.**

 **Then, Jenna discovered the truth about herself, and I was forced to reveal her purpose.** **I was forced to reveal the prophecy.**

 **The child of Primus and Unicron**

 **Will come to Cybertron's new dawn,**

 **And see the old world return to dark**

 **Before lighting it up at the cost of her spark.**

 **She went through with everything I asked for the sake of her friends, sacrificing herself for the future of Cybertron.** **But, I'm not done with her, just yet.**

 **The hero shall fall, then once more rise -**

 **The child of selfless demise.**

 **The hero's story ends in poor state,**

 **But Primus always knew their fate.**

* * *

A tiny figure that glowed with a brilliant white light plummeted through a massive pit - the Well of Allsparks. Her eyes were closed, her entire form having turned white, and she seemed at peace. Her arms were spread out, her expression relaxed...

Then, she struck the center of the massive structure known as the Spark of Primus, and millions of brilliantly colored lights erupted from it. Her body was taken into the spark, empty and devoid of life.

As those millions of sparks were sent flying up and into the world of Cybertron, her broken form was lifted from the spark by an unknown force and set upon the ground. A brilliant beam of blue light found her there, and a soft chuckle rang out.

" **Little Artist...** " A voice chided quietly, and through the beam came a small orb of light that glowed with various shades of blue and silver. It entered the tiny body, and it was once again consumed by light. It grew and grew and grew, then it slowly faded away into nothing. What remained was not the same as what had been before the light. " **Wake up.** "

* * *

It was dark, and it was cold, and she was scared. Then, she saw a brilliant blue light shining in the darkness.

" **It's alright.** " A voice boomed in the darkness. She felt like she should have recognized it, but she didn't. " **I know that you are confused, but you have no need to fear. Soon enough, you will remember all that has happened, little one.** " She felt like that name was off for some reason. Like the mysterious voice in the darkness was supposed to call her something else.

"I... I don't know who I am." She admitted, looking up at the huge shape before her, somehow knowing that it was something called a _spark_. "I-I'm scared."

The glow from the spark increased in brightness, and a metal hand, a servo, was extended. She slowly took it, and it felt strange - like it was both there and not. The huge white and blue being (a Cybertronian, a mech) pulled her to her feet - her peds.

She somehow knew that she was a Cybertronian, a femme. She was much smaller in size than the enormous mech, and she somehow knew that she was around the size of an average femme.

A brief and disorienting flash in her processor momentarily showed her a silver, dark-blue, pink, and black femme. She had almost the same size and shape as her.

Over the black that made up most of her frame, she was covered in turquoise, black, and silver armor. On her legs, tall turquoise boot-like armor with high-heels appeared to go up to her knees, pointed at the top and tipped with black. Then, she appeared to be wearing turquoise shorts that went from her waist down to a few inches above the tops of the boots. On her waist was a silver belt that held a large, spherical paint-bomb on the left hip, and her silver torso was bare of armor from there up to just below her ribcage. She had a turquoise chest-plate that looked almost like a skin-tight midriff-shirt on a human (how she knew what a human was, she did not know - she couldn't even tell you what one looked like in complete detail), and hanging off her rotator-cups was a long, turquoise and black, armored trench-coat.

She shakily pulled away from the mech and spun around a few times, getting a better look at the trench-coat. It was black on the inside, mostly turquoise on the outside with black ends to the sleeves and black wing-decals on the back. It went down to the middle of her calves. Her servos were silver, and they worked just like human hands.

She somehow knew that she should focus on a certain command for the coat, so she did - and the trench-coat morphed into dragon-wings. She morphed the wings back into the trench-coat, then finally examined her silver face-plate on a sheet of metal that formed the floor of the strange place.

Her face-plate looked familiar (minus the nose and freckles, which seemed like they were supposed to be there - and the color seemed off), and the helmet was like that of the femme from her vision (turquoise with black spikes) except the back rose, making it look like she was wearing a bun in hair (but what was hair?). She blinked, then gave a small smile.

" **I knew that you would like your new form.** " The mech chuckled lightly as he watched her, like a father watching a toddler. She turned and raised an optic-brow.

"New?" She asked, confused. At least her voice sounded right. "What's going on? Where am I?"

" **Be calm... Soon, I will lead those who can help you to this place. They will help you regain your memory, and your place in this universe.** "

"Uh..."

" **I'm bringing your friends, here.** "

"Friends?"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

It was morning in the Darby house - in Jasper, Nevada, a city in the country of the United States of America on the planet Earth -, around a month after they had received the news. June Darby quietly made breakfast - bacon, eggs, and buttered toast -, and she brought a plate to a bedroom door. She was silent for a moment, then she reached up and knocked twice.

"Jack?" She asked quietly, and there was no reply. "Think you're up for school, today? Miko and Raf have been calling, asking about you. They're worried... I am, too." Still no reply. "Alright, then... Agent Fowler called, too. He wants to let you know that, as soon as you graduate from high-school, he thinks that he can get you into a good college. Good news, right?" Silence.

June sighed, then set the plate down beside the door and picked up a different plate of steak and mashed potatoes that had sat out all night. She stood up straight, looking at the door, then she bowed her head and closed her eyes.

' _I miss her, too._ ' She thought, hoping her thoughts would reach her son. ' _But... I'm afraid that she's run out of miracles._ '

* * *

Jack laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a frown. Then, he closed his eyes and sighed.

' _One meal a day._ ' He told himself. ' _At least one. You know the rule._ ' He stood and walked over to the door, and after he was sure tat his mother was gone, he opened his door, took the plate, and closed the door again, locking it.

Jack walked over to his desk, set the plate down, and took the silverware tat was on it, forcing himself to eat. It tasted bland in his mouth and was hard for him to chew, but he forced it down. He wasn't that far gone, he knew he had to eat to live.

A buzz rang out, and he looked back to see his cellphone on his bed. Miko always called first, and Raf called soon after her. They'd leave a short message, telling him how they've been, saying they missed him, and asking when he would come out. He didn't listen at first, but now he had every message pretty much memorized.

He missed them. He really did. But he wasn't ready, yet. He wasn't ready to step out of that door, to look his mother in the eyes, to get on his bike and ride past the cemetery where they had set up an honorary tombstone - paid for by the United States government through Agent Fowler. He wasn't ready to face a world where his sister would never walk again, a universe she wasn't flying around and saving.

He hoped he would be, someday. But right now... He feels as though that day will never come.

* * *

Miko lowered her phone, sighing, then looked over at Raf. They both sat on the front steps of their school together, and there was an uneasiness between them.

"Alright." She said, like she had said it a thousand times. "Your turn." Raf nodded, then he raised his phone and made the call. The two waited, then... "Voicemail?"

"Yeah." Raf replied, sighing, then he took a deep breath and smiled. "Hey, Jack. It's me, Raf. I'm doing good - finally managed to raise my grades back up after missing all of those days. So that's good... I'm taking auto-shop with Miko, this term. She's brilliant with that sort of technology, but I'm kinda struggling - b-but she agreed to help me!" The silence fell again. "So... We really miss you, Jack, and we want to see you again, soon." Miko nodded and gestured for him to hang up, and Raf moved to... Then, he raised the phone to his ear again. "... I miss her, too." Miko blinked, surprised. "She... She was like a big sister to me - and I know Miko thinks that, too. She seemed like she would always be around, and now that she isn't - everything seems a lot darker, colder, and scarier. But... But she'd want us to keep living!" Raf closed his eyes, bowing his head as tears threatened to fall. "Shewss beave, So we should be, too! You know she'd want that, Jack!"

Miko took the phone and hung up, then pulled Raf into a hug, the boy sobbing as she tried to comfort him. A bunch of students walked past, seeming to ignore the two, then...

"He still not coming out?" A voice asked, and Miko looked up. Vince stood there, a small frown on his face as his friends came to a stop behind him. Miko blinked, then sighed and slowly nodded.

"Yeah." She answered quietly, and Vince looked down, shaking his head. "Think you'll be able to give a Raf a ride home, again?"

"Yeah." Vince replied, nodding. "I can give you a ride home, too - if you want."

"Nah." Miko looked down, smiling bitterly. "I like having the time to think." Vince nodded, then he looked down at Raf.

"He'll be alright, kid." Vince turned away, frowning. "Just give him time." Vince and his friends walked off, and Raf slowly looked up.

"A-at least he's gotten nicer." He tried, and Miko gave a weak smile. "J-Jenna'd never believe it."

"Hm... I think she would."

"You d-do?"

"Yeah... She was the queen of second chances."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

It was nighttime on the planet Cybertron, and while all of the recently-returned/sparked inhabitants were in deep recharge, there were a few that were still awake.

Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Elita-1, Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Sari Sundac - or Team Earth or Prime, as they were sometimes called - was wide-opticed and alert. Optimus, Knockout, and Ratchet remained in their new headquarters while the others patrolled to ensure that no one was causing trouble.

The rest of "Team Earth" was elsewhere. Arctic and Goldstrike had joined with Skylynx and Darksteel in Predaking's new pack, and they were only to be called in for emergencies. Arctic was especially adamant on this, even more so than Predaking himself. She hadn't been herself since... Since...

Many hadn't been the same since the passing of Jenna Darby. Her death had taken its tole on many.

Optimus had insisted that they all continue to live together, that they report in constantly while out of base, and that a curfew for all of Team Prime be put into place. He would not lose anyone else. Elita-1 often told him that what happened was not his fault, all to no avail.

Ratchet was either more quiet or more irritable with no in-between. He was always either silent or in a complete rage over something trivial, and it was plain to see that he was taking it harder than he would ever admit.

Arcee, Ultra-Magnus, and Smokescreen weren't particularly close to the human, but they still felt her absence. And they felt guilt as Optimus, Ratchet, and the rest did - they thought that they should have done something. Bumblebee spent much of his time trying to comfort Sari, who had taken the death of her fello techno-organic harder than almost anyone. Bulkhead spent time trying to offer what comfort he could to the one who had taken it hardest.

Wheeljack wasn't taking what happened well, at all. He barely talked to anyone, but they'd talked to him. About how he'd become distant, about how he would totally snap if annoyed, about how he needed to dial it down when they brought in a lawbreaker, about how they missed seeing him smile.

Bulkhead drove next to his old friend in vehicle-mode, the two patrolling a city that was slowly being rebuilt, and all was silent between the two that were usually full of banter and old war stories. Bulkhead didn't know what else to say - he'd tried everything, even calling Miko for advice. Nothing was helping.

"... This is Wheeljack, reporting." Wheeljack finally spoke, making a call back to HQ. "All's quiet in Kaon, as usual. Signing off, and heading back." Wheeljack had never been that formal...

"Uh... Hey, 'Jackie?" Bulkhead asked, and all went silent again. "You know, uh... She had a spark. I'm sure she's-"

"Bulkhead." Wheeljack growled lowly. "I'm warning you. I don't want to talk about h-"

 _ **:** Uh... **:**_ Bumblebee suddenly reported in. _**:** Guys? Sari and I are near the Iacon Hall of Records, and... You might want to head over and take a look at this. **:**_

* * *

 ** _Well... Yeah. They're in for a big shock, aren't they? XD_**

 ** _I bet you're wondering why I chose to rewrite this. To put it simply - I fell out of love with this story. I wasn't motivated to continue writing it, and that was killing me. I mean, "The Artist" had a pretty enthusiastic following and they were excited for the sequel. I felt guilty, letting them down._**

 ** _So, in order to make both sides happy, I'm rewriting this story for better quality. I'm going to do my best to keep the spirit of "The Artist", but I'm definitely going to be writing this - well - better._**

 ** _So... Here we go._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	2. The Artist Who Knew Too Little

Team Prime arrived at Bumblebee and Sari's location, all of the Cybertronians transforming as they saw what the two were staring at - an orb of blue light that levitated at faceplate-heigh, like it wanted to be found.

"What is that?" Elita-1 asked, just as surprised as everyone was feeling. Optimus frowned, stepping forward to face it. A long moment passed, then his optics narrowed.

"It is a guide." The Prime replied solemnly. "Primus is requesting our presence."

"Primus can go frag himself." Wheeljack growled, clenching his fists. "I'm not going anywhere near-"

" _Where am I?_ " A weak and scared voice asked from the orb, and Wheeljack's optics widened. His whole frame tensed, and he wasn't the only one.

"Is that..?" Bulkhead stared at the orb. Optimus looked back at his comrades.

"We owe it to our fallen ally to discover the meaning of this." The Prime looked almost as livid as Wheeljack did. "... Primus had better have good reason." With that, the Cybertronians transformed and followed the orb as it started moving.

* * *

Team Prime arrived at the Well of Allsparks, and the orb became a large, glowing platform as they all transformed into their biped-modes.

"Does it want us to get on?" Arcee asked, confused. Optimus nodded, and they all hesitantly stepped on. The platform slowly began to descend, and as it moved slowly through the Well, Wheeljack clenched his fists and looked down.

 ** _"Bye, 'Jackie."_**

Wheeljack closed his optics and took a deep breath. He didn't need to breathe, but it was a habit he had picked up from Jenna. It seemed to calm her down, and after she died, Wheeljack found himself taking in and expelling air whenever he needed to calm himself.

' _There had better be a good reason for this._ ' He thought, opening his optics. Those final words from his partner had been ringing in his head since she had died, and now they were entwined with the words from the orb. ' _Could she..? No. Don't get your hopes up, you old bucket of bolts. She's gone... Jenna's gone._ '

* * *

Finally arriving at the bottom of the Well, Team Prime gazed up at the enormous spark of Primus.

" **You've finally arrived.** " A voice spoke, and Optimus immediately kneeled. The others, besides Wheeljack, followed. " **... You still hold what happened to your partner against me, Wheeljack?** "

"Do you really expect me not to?" Wheeljack asked, glaring lightly. Silence fell, then...

" **No.** " Primus replied quietly, seeming forlorn. " **But, I do require help from all of you. You especially, Wheeljack.** "

"What makes you think I'd help you?" Wheeljack asked, the others looking up. Primus seemed to let out a small sigh.

" **If it helps... I am not the one who you will be helping.** " As Primus spoke, a blue light shone down on a small figure curled up at the bottom of the Well. It was a femme. " **She has had time to adjust. I have placed her in light stasis, so you will be able to take her to your headquarters easily.** "

"What?" Ratchet asked, his optics narrowing. "Who is she? Why does she need help?" The medic stepped off of the platform, went over, and scanned the femme. "She's in perfect health."

" **Not mentally... I'm afraid that she has completely lost her memory, and I know that only you and your allies who fought on Earth will be able to help her regain it.** "

"Why us?" Bumblebee asked, raising an optic-brow. "We don't even know her."

" **I'm afraid that you do.** " Primus sounded remorseful. " **Wheeljack... You of all should know her.** "

"What?" Wheeljack asked, his optics narrowing further. Then, the Wrecker stepped off of the platform and slowly walked over, kneeling and getting a better look at the femme.

' _Who is she?_ ' He wondered, trying to solve the puzzle. He didn't remember her from the war, and he didn't remember her from before it either. But still, something about her was familiar. Her faceplate and the build of her form, the colors of her armor. ' _Wait, what's that?_ ' Wheeljack had noticed something at her belt, a spherical device. ' _The frag..?_ '

...

 _A human girl marched up with a bomb in her hand._

 _"This is for making me look like a damsel-in-distress, bitch." Jenna Darby scoffed, then she chucked the bomb and a fake Wheeljack's face and upper body were covered in bubbly blue, bright pink, and yellow. Bulkhead then proceeded to pick the fake up and chuck him through the ground bridge._

 _"Nice lob." Wheeljack commented, looking down at Jenna. She smirked and did a peace-sign._

...

 _Jenna pitched a bomb, and smoke erupted from it upon its contact with Hardshell's optics, blinding him._

 _"You're not worth being on the receiving end of any of my masterpieces, bitch!"_

...

 _Jenna took a deep breath, hanging from chains in the dungeon of Darkmount, then she looked up at Wheeljack with narrowed eyes._

 _"Five seconds. One!" She flicked her wrists, pitching a paint-bomb at the machine that held Wheeljack in the air and one at Starscream's face. The machine was instantly decorated by silver, gold, teal, and green paint, which made the machine fizzle and shut down, releasing Wheeljack. "Two!" Starscream was blinded by blue, pink, and yellow, and he took a blind swipe at the girl before retreating to clean his faceplate. Wheeljack ran over to cut Jenna down from the chains, and she landed on her feet. He didn't see her as she doubled over slightly, or her face as she held back a cry of pain. "Three..." Wheeljack moved to run out the open door. "Four..."_

 _"Come on, partner!" Wheeljack grinned, looking back at Jenna. Her arm was wrapped around her stomach, her head bowed. "We gotta get outta here!" She didn't look up, and he grew worried. "Partner?" Slowly, Jenna looked up at him weakly, pulling her arm away from her stomach to reveal dark blood spreading across her armored torso and staining the armor on her arm. Wheeljack's optics widened in shock. "Jenna?"_

 _Jenna gave a small smile, looking exhausted as all of the color drained from her face. Her body quivered, but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were losing their light._

 _"Sorry, 'Jackie." She spoke quietly. "Just wasn't fast enough this time." The girl collapsed, and Wheeljack stepped towards her, reaching out._

 _"KID!"_

...

 _A fully-realized techno-organic Jenna threw a large paint-bomb, decorating Darkmount with neon and pastel shades of blue, yellow, pink, orange, and green._

...

 _Jenna stood at the entrance to a garage, her arms crossed. Wheeljack kneeled within the garage, looking at her with remorse._

 _"Kid..." Wheeljack sighed, looking down at the floor. "I'm so, so sorry. You nearly got killed because I couldn't fight..."_

 _"Don't worry." She told him, then she gave a light smirk. "I have my revenge plan. You won't know when or how, but I'll get you back." Then, the girl shrugged. "Bored. Screw it. Revenge!"_

 _The immature little human whipped out one of her pastel paint-bombs and pitched it at Wheeljack, laughing as he glared at her while covered in pink and blue paint._

...

 _On a newly revived Cybertron..._

 _"Let's get this party started." Wheeljack held up a trigger, smirking. Jenna smiled deviously, and everyone watched as the statue of Megatron standing over Kaon exploded in bright colors before crumbling to pieces._

...

Wheeljack stared down at the femme, his optics wide.

"Wheeljack?" Ultra Magnus asked, and Wheeljack was suddenly shaken from his trance. "What is it? Do you recognize this femme or not?" Wheeljack didn't reply for a long moment, his expression filled with disbelief, then slowly looked up at the spark of Primus, his optics narrowing.

"What..? The..? FRAG?!"

" **Calm down-** "

"What is this?!" Wheeljack demanded, standing up at looking at the spark with hate. "Some kind of cruel joke?! You take her away, then send her back like this?! No memory, nothing!"

" **Taking on this form** **was always her destiny.** "

"Destiny? DESTINY?! Who the Pit believes in destiny?!" Wheeljack snapped, everyone else stepping away from him. "First, you torment her for years with all those upgrades, prophecies, and nightmares! Then, you make her die! Now, you've done this AND taken her memories?!"

"Wheeljack, who is this?" Arcee asked, even though she already had come to the conclusion - she just wanted the final confirmation. Wheeljack slowly calmed himself down and looked back at the others, glaring.

"It's Jenna." He replied, and all optics widened. "She's back." Silence fell...

"That little glitch just never dies, does she?" Knockout asked, raising an optic-brow. Wheeljack's hateful glare immediately turned on him.

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Primus was silent after that, and the platform that carried Team Prime down glowed brighter. Wheeljack hesitantly scooped the femme with the spark of his partner up, and they returned to Cybertron's surface.

They returned headquarters - which had once been the capital building of the old Cybertron -, and they placed the femme in the infirmary. Knockout and Ratchet looked the femme over with better equipment, and they once again declared her to be in perfect health. Wheeljack was called in when the stasis started to wear off.

"Hmm?" The femme shifted, her optics flickering to life as as she weakly sat up. "W-what happened?"

"We were hoping that you could tell us." Ratchet frowned slightly, his whole frame tense. The femme looked up, blinking in surprise with her gaze shifting from Ratchet to Knockout, then it shifted to Wheeljack. He blinked, and the femme blinked, then Ratchet made a noise akin to the one a human made when clearing their throat. "Do you remember anything?"

"Um..." The femme looked down, her optics narrowing in thought. "I... I emerged from stasis, and a mech - he called himself _Primus_ \- was there. He told me that my friends were coming, and that they would help me remember everything."

"Anything else?"

"Uh... Yeah." The femme looked up, nodding. "He said that my name was _Icy Dawn._ " Wheeljack blinked, the name being familiar. It was the name Jenna had taken for herself while acting as a graffiti-artist on Earth. But still...

"He gave you a name?" Wheeljack asked, frowning as he crossed his arms. The femme looked at him, and she innocently raised an optic-brow.

"Wasn't that my name, before?" She asked, and he didn't respond. "Um... Where am I?"

"You are in an infirmary." Knockout replied simply, and she looked at him. "And as for your name and memories: that's actually a funny story. You see-"

"Knockout!" Ratchet snapped, and the younger mech looked at him. "What did I tell you about-?!" Laughter rang out, and the three mechs looked back to see Icy Dawn laughing. "What?"

"I-I don't know!" Icy Dawn looked up, seeming as confused as she was amused. "For some reason, I find you yelling at others hilarious!"

"... Well, she's not entirely gone." Ratchet muttered, then he gave a small smile. "You always did."

"Wait..." Icy Dawn calmed and raised an optic-brow. "Are... Are you guys the 'friends' Primus told me about?"

"Some of them." Ratchet replied, nodding. "Can you stand?" The femme slowly nodded, then slid off of the med-berth and onto her peds. Her legs wobbled for a second, then she stood up straight.

"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine." Icy Dawn placed her servos on her hips, smilling. Then, she sighed and looked down, seeming very troubled. "Besides... Well..." She pointed to the side of her helm.

"Of course." Ratchet nodded in reply. "Well, while you are recovering from the events that drove you to such a condition, you will be spending most of your time with the one who knew you best."

"Who?" Icy Dawn asked, tilting her helm to the side. Knockout snickered and pointed at me. Icy Dawn looked at Wheeljack, surprised, then she raised her optic-brow. "Him? You're sticking me with scarred, cranky, and stubby?"

"Hey!" Wheeljack snapped as Knockout and Ratchet burst out laughing. Icy Dawn blinked at Wheeljack's show of anger, her servo immediately going for her belt, then she blinked again and frowned slightly as she pulled the paint-bomb from her belt.

"What's this?" She asked, not noticing the three mechs taking several steps back. "I feel like I'm supposed to throw it... Am I supposed to throw it?"

"Yes, and no." Ratchet raised his servos, his optics wide. "You see, you are an artist. That bomb is one of your primary methods of-"

"Artist?" Icy Dawn asked, blinking. She looked back at the bomb, and she looked pretty confused. "I think that I remember how these are made... And I think that they used to be smaller." Icy Dawn raised a servo to the side of her helm, still staring at the small bomb. "Did..? Did I use to be smaller, too?" Icy Dawn slowly blinked, then she shook out of it. "Whoa, head-rush... I don't know what that was, but I'm glad it's over."

"It may have been an overlap of old memories." Ratchet told her, and she looked at him, blinking. "Your frame was damaged and needed much repair, and some things are different." She blinked again. "... Your memories will return in full with time, and you can expect to come across such trances as they do... You will be placed with Wheeljack, and he will make sure that, when you enter these trances, you are safe."

"Okay." Icy Dawn slowly nodded, seeming uneasy as she lowered her servo. "That makes sense." Wheeljack gazed at her for a moment, then looked away.

* * *

Ratchet, Knockout, and Wheeljack took Icy Dawn to Optimus' command center, and the others were waiting for them there. The femme seemed uneasy upon arrival, and she grew especially nervous as all optics fell on her.

"Uh... Hey!" Icy Dawn waved, smiling awkwardly as they stared at her. "I'm Icy Dawn... What's with all the weird looks?"

"More friends." Knockout smirked, enjoying this way too much. Icy Dawn raised an optic-brow.

"Wait, what? I know that I'm not really sure who I am right now, but there is no way that I'd be this social."

"Why not?" Arcee crossed her arms, raising an optic-brow. Icy Dawn blinked, then gave a small shrug.

"No idea. I just have a feeling. So... Who are you?"

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." Optimus began, stepping forward. Icy Dawn raised an optic-brow.

"Auto-what now?"

"We will bring you up to speed." Ratchet promised, seeming to grow more and more worried by the moment. Icy Dawn shrugged in reply, then reached out and shook Optimus' servo.

"It's an honor, I guess?"

"It is my honor." Optimus corrected, and she blinked. "You are a hero of Cybertron... And your injury, it was the result of you saving my life." Icy Dawn's optics widened.

"Wait, what?!" She asked, stunned. "That's... So cool." Optimus gave a small smile.

"Indeed."

"I'm Bulkhead." Bulkhead greeted, forcing a grin. "I'm a Wrecker." Icy Dawn blinked, then her optic-brow raised again.

"A what?"

"We're genuine ass-kickers!" Sari flew over with her jetpack, ignoring Wheeljack's look of disgust and horror. "We go into a fight, we beat everyone up, and then we call in for clean-up!" Icy Dawn slowly smiled.

"Wow." Icy Dawn looked at Sari. "They sound really neat... And you are really, really tiny."

"Hey!" Sari complained, drawing her hammer. "Just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't kick your-"

"Sari!" Bumblebee shouted, deadpanning lightly. "She might not even remember how to fight!" Icy Dawn frowned, tilting her helm slightly in confusion.

"I can fight?"

"See?!" Bumblebee asked, then he sighed and raised a servo to his helm. "Just... Take it easy."

"Well... I'm Sari Sundac." Sari looked back at Icy Dawn. "I'm a techno-organic Wrecker, and we were pretty good friends before you..."

"Oh." Icy Dawn looked down, rubbing one arm with the opposite servo. "Right... I guess that I don't act at all like I used to before I lost my memories?" Wheeljack shook his helm while the others remained uncertain. "Great... So, what was I?"

"A Wrecker." Wheeljack replied, and she looked back at him. "Like Bulkhead, Sari, Ultra Magnus, Elita-1, and me... You were one of the best. Megatron himself feared you, and you toppled armies."

"Two undead armies, to be exact." Optimus spoke up, frowning. Icy Dawn blinked a few times, surprised.

"Okay... What's a Megatron?"

"We'll bring you up to speed." Ratchet stated again. Icy Dawn blinked, then she nodded.

"Alright..."

"Bumblebee." Bumblebee stepped forward and shook Icy Dawn's servo. "Your purpose in life for a good two months was to understand everything I said while speaking Cybertronian-basic and pretend you didn't, only to say you did understand me before you left for space in order to piss me off."

"Um... Sorry?" Icy Dawn offers, giving a nervous grin. Bumblebee chuckled, shaking his helm.

"It's fine. It was actually pretty funny." Bumblebee looked back at her, smiling. "You always liked to make people laugh." Icy Dawn blinked, then she smiled. Elita-1 was the next to approach.

"Elita-1." The spider-'Bot shook Icy Dawn's servo. "I was once the leader of the Wreckers. My brother, Ultra Magnus, has since then taken over." Ultra Magnus nodded from behind her, and Icy Dawn looked at the two with awe.

"Cool..."

"Arcee." Arcee walked over, her arms crossed. "I was your brother's partner."

"Brother?!" Icy Dawn asked, her optics widening. "Since when do I have a brother?! And was?! Is he offline?!"

"No, no!" Arcee raised her servos, her optics widening as well. "He's fine! He's on Earth, and he's fine." Icy Dawn calmed down, raising a servo to her spark as she let out a small noise of relief, then she raised an optic-brow.

"Have we met?" She asked, frowning. Everyone looked at Icy Dawn, and Wheeljack seemed offended while the others looked surprised.

"You have recollection of Arcee?" Optimus asked, somewhat hopeful. Icy Dawn shook her helm lightly, raising a servo to her faceplate.

"I... I don't know." Icy Dawn shook out of it, smiling weakly. "I just feel like I've seen her, before... It'll come to me."

"Smokescreen!" Smokescreen held a servo out, grinning. "It's great to have you back! You were so awesome, and I've gotta admit that it was an honor to work with you! It still is, but it'll be a HUGE honor again once you get your memories back!"

"Uh... Thanks?"

"... Alright, that's enough." Wheeljack stepped forward and placed a hand on Icy Dawn's rotator-cup. "Kid's had a rough day, and she shouldn't strain herself. Could make this whole thing last a whole lot longer than it has to."

"Wheeljack has a point." Knockout vouched for him, frowning. "While I'm not the best with psychological recovery, I do know that she shouldn't be subjected to too much new information all at once. It could be... Overwhelming." Ratchet nodded in confirmation.

"Alright, then." Wheeljack looked back at Icy Dawn. "Time to show you to your room, kid."

* * *

The young femme quietly followed behind Wheeljack as he walked down a hallway, her arms crossed and a frown on her faceplate as she looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, as were all of the Autobots. She was probably a few inches shorter than even Arcee.

"Here we are." Wheeljack spoke, stopping and gesturing to a door. "I'm right across the hall-" He pointed as he spoke. "Bulk is next to me on the left, Sari's to the right, Arcee's right there to your right, and Ultra Magnus is to your left. Elita-1 and Optimus are at the end of the hall, and the other rooms belong to the others.

"Okay." Icy Dawn nodded, frowning. She opened the door and peeked inside, and she blinked as she turned on the light.

The room was simple to say the very least. It was square-shaped and had grey walls and a grey floor, and there was a grey sleeping-platform in the middle. A table and chair was in a far corner.

"Something wrong?" Wheeljack asked, raising an optic-brow. Icy Dawn frowned, slowly walking into the room, and she seemed uncomfortable.

"It's like a jail cell." She admitted, and Wheeljack blinked. "So... Grey." Icy Dawn looked down, frowning. "I think I understand why I liked to paint... I couldn't stand places like this."

"... What are you going to do about it?" Wheeljack inquired, his optics narrowing. Icy Dawn slowly reached down to her belt and drew her paint-bomb frowning down at it as she pressed a button and activated it, Wheeljack taking a step back. The femme turned and threw it at her right wall, and it exploded and splattered the wall with blue, white, light-grey, and silver paint. Wheeljack blinked, surprised, then he saw the smile on the femme's face.

"That's better." She decided, placing her servos on her hips. "I can live here." Wheeljack gazed at her for a long moment, then sighed.

"Well... Goodnight, Icy Dawn."

"That's a bit of a mouthful." She looked back at him, smiling. "Did you use it, before?" Wheeljack didn't reply. "You call Bulkhead _Bulk_. Why not call me _Ice_ , okay?"

"Sure." Wheeljack found himself agreeing. "But I used to call you _kid_ , a lot. So, expect that more than anything else." Icy Dawn gave a small hum of amusement.

"Okay. Was there anything that you'd like me to call you?"

"... Just stick with Wheeljack, okay?" Wheeljack asked, his optics narrowing slightly. "For now, at least." Icy Dawn blinked, then she gave a small nod.

"Okay." She agreed, frowning slightly. "Goodnight." Wheeljack turned the light off and closed the door, leaving Icy Dawn alone in the dark.

* * *

Wheeljack turned away from the door, frowning and sighing as he leaned against it and raised a servo to his faceplate, shaking his helm. This was a lot to take in...

Jenna, his partner, was alive again. She had been placed into the body of a femme, and she had lost her memories. Now, only he and the others could help her get her memories back. She was counting on him...

...

 _Wheeljack growled in annoyance, and Jenna looked up at him, smiling. Then, she closed her eyes and gave a small hum of amusement._

 _"Love you too, partner."_

...

Wheeljack looked up, his optics narrowing. His back left the door, and he walked across the hallway to his room. He remembered that fateful Christmas day, how she pleaded with him while he was under Decepticon control. She begged him to wake up, to come back to her...

"... Don't worry, kid." He spoke quietly, looking back at the door. "I'm not going to give up on you. Not again... You're going to wake up." With that, he entered his room.

Wheeljack walked over to his cot and laid down, gazing up at the ceiling for a while before closing his optics and drifting off into stasis. It took longer than usual, most likely due to all of his troubling thoughts. Troubling thoughts that manifested.

...

 _Wheeljack set the **Jackhammer** on autopilot and stood, turning away from the controls and walking to the back room. It had been a long first day, and he was ready for some much-needed stasis. He passed by his new traveling-companion's cot, and he blinked before doing a double-take and looking down at her._

 _"What's this, then?" He asked, raising an optic-brow. Jenna was sitting on her cot - a sparkling-sized cot that came out of the wall and was still extremely massive in comparison to the tiny human -, her knees pulled to her chest, and she looked up at him with a frown. A blanket and pillow laid off to the side of the cot, but she didn't seem too keen on using them._

 _"... I'm still scared." The girl admitted, looking down. "All I can think about is the ship running out of oxygen, or a window breaking and sucking me out into space. I keep counting to five, but- whoa!" Jenna shouted in surprise as Wheeljack picked her up and walked over to his cot. He laid down, and he set the girl on his rotator-cup. She blinked, looking at him questioningly, and he rolled his optics._

 _"Just this once, kid." He told her gruffly, and she blinked again. Then, she gave a small smile and closed her eyes._

 _"Thanks!"_ _The girl moved to get comfortable and curled up, resting her face on his rotator-cup and starting to drift off. Wheeljack looked over at her, giving a small smile, then closed his optics and sighed._

 _"Just get some rest, okay?" He asked, frowning slightly. "We've got a long flight ahead of us." The girl didn't reply, having already fallen asleep. Wheeljack seemed annoyed, but then his smile returned. "'Night, kid."_

...

* * *

Icy Dawn walked over to her cot, and she blinked in surprise as her coat collapsed open itself, folding up until it became more jacket-like. She looked down at herself, intrigued, then sighed and laid down.

She gazed up at the dark ceiling for a moment, frowning, then slowly closed her optics and drifted off into stasis. She didn't know why, but sleeping in a room by herself seemed... Unsettling.

It was like someone else was supposed to be there.

' _It's okay._ ' She told herself as she fell into a deep stasis. ' _Just... Count to five, and calm yourself down. One, two, three, four.._ ' A small smile graced her lips. ' _Five._ '

* * *

 ** _I think that that whole ordeal was far more natural than the old version. Wheeljack's less of an asshole and more worried about his partner, but he's still reasonably skeptical and bitter._**

 ** _I only own my OCs! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 _ **PS: I would like to formally apologize to the man/woman who reviewed as a guest, complaining about how their goddaughter would make them pull an all-nighter if I didn't update sooner. I'm in the middle of the school year** **, and things are hectic.**_

 ** _I hope you didn't die of sleep-deprivation or something._**

 ** _Sorry._**


	3. Human Error

The next morning, Optimus had Wheeljack show Icy Dawn around Headquarters, and the Wrecker was pretty much silent. Icy Dawn grew uncomfortable after some time, and she eventually attempted to start a conversation.

"So... What's Earth?" The femme asked, and Wheeljack remained silent. "Arcee said I had a brother, and that he's on Earth." No reply. "What's his name?"

"Jack." Wheeljack finally replied, his voice gruff. Icy Dawn blinked, surprised.

"Jack... That's an odd name for a Cybertronian." She mused to herself, and Wheeljack blinked. "I mean, aren't we all named things like Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Icy Dawn, Starscr-" A blinding pain came to the femme's processor, accompanied by a burning rage and hatred...

 ** _..._**

 ** _"Leave him alone! Leave my partner alone, or I swear I'll rip your spark out, you- AH..!"_**

 ** _"Not long, now."_**

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn's optics widened, fear flashing in her mind, then the hatred and anger returned.

"... Starscream." Icy Dawn hissed quietly, scowling. Wheeljack turned to her, his optics widening.

"What did you just say?"

"I know that name from somewhere... And I hate whoever it belongs to, more than anything." Icy Dawn gritted her dentas, then she looked up at Wheeljack. "Who is Starscream?"

"He... He used to be Megatron's right-hand 'Con." Wheeljack responded, stunned. "You two have a history."

"I heard something... He was going to hurt someone, or maybe he already had and I didn't want it to continue." The femme frowned slightly. "A partner. It was a him, apparently. I guess I was pretty protective... Starscream did something to me, and I screamed. That's what I remember."

"Figures, you'd remember that."

"What?"

"A while back, you and your partner were imprisoned in a Decepticon citadel on Earth. It was called _Darkmount_." Wheeljack looked away, glaring. "You two were nearly killed." Icy Dawn gazed at him for a long moment.

"... It was you, wasn't it?" She asked, and Wheeljack looked back at her with narrowed optics. "You were my partner." Wheeljack didn't respond, and she crossed her arms, seeming... Guilty. "I think I understand, now. Your anger... I'm sorry."

"You should be." Wheeljack told her, turning away again. "Suicidal little glitch." Icy Dawn blinked, then frowned.

"Can you tell me what I did?" She pleaded, and Wheeljack was silent. "Look, if I hurt you and you're mad about it, I should know why. I deserve that much."

"You deserve to keep your trap shut." Wheeljack growled, and she took a step back. "What happened between us doesn't matter, right now. Getting your memories to come back does. I'm not telling you anything - you have to figure it out on your own. Got it, kid?"

"... Got it." Icy Dawn replied quietly, and he turned and kept walking. "... At least I'm starting to remember things. Bad memories are better than no memories." Icy Dawn weakly shrugged, then she forced a small grin. "So, when can I meet my brother? Maybe seeing him will help!" The Wrecker suddenly froze up.

"Uh... Well... You see, the problem with that is..." Wheeljack sighed, then looked back at Icy Dawn. "Everyone back on Earth thinks that you're offline."

"What?!" Icy Dawn asked, her optics widening. "You haven't told them I'm alright?!"

"Well, we thought we should wait for you to get your memories back-"

"Nah-uh." Icy Dawn shook her head, indignant. "No way, _Stubby_. I want to go to Earth:  now!"

" ** _Stubby_**?!" Wheeljack asked, glaring venomously down at her. "The Pit is that?!"

"You wouldn't give me a nickname, so I came up with my own. What else would I call you?" Icy Dawn asked in annoyance, turning away. She didn't notice Wheeljack's face falling.

 _ **...**_

 _ **"Are we still partners,** 'Jackie **?"**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **"Missed you, too,** Wheeljack-ass **."**_

 _ **...**_

' _I never thought I'd miss that stupid nickname._ ' He thought, briefly looking down. ' _But now... I'd give just about anything to hear my partner say **Wheeljack-ass** just one more time._ ' Wheeljack looked up at Icy Dawn as she continued walking away, then started walking and soon caught up with her.

* * *

Icy Dawn walked up to Ratchet as he manned the space-bridge, Wheeljack tailing behind her. She leaned over to see what he was doing, curious, then moved away and gave a small wave and an awkwardly grin.

"Hey, Ratchet!"

"Hello, Icy Dawn." Ratchet raised an optic-brow as he looked over at her, then he looked over at Wheeljack like he suspected something bad. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Icy Dawn replied simply. "I just want to go to Earth." Ratchet dropped his wrench, his optics widening.

"W-what?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"I... I do not think that visiting Earth is the best idea, at this time."

"Well, I've got a brother and a history on Earth." Icy Dawn told him, and Ratchet blinked. "Maybe it'll jog a few memories. I've already had a few pop up."

"Really?" Ratchet seemed somewhat relieved. "What?"

"Well, I remembered that I hate some 'Con called _Starscream_." Icy Dawn told him, and Ratchet blinked. "And... I remember myself screaming at him for torturing my partner - Wheeljack, apparently - in a place I was told was called _Darkmount_." Icy Dawn's expression fell. "I was so angry, and then... Then, I think that Starscream turned on me."

"... He did." Wheeljack told her, and Icy Dawn looked back at him. "Wasn't good." Icy Dawn blinked, then let out a small sound like a sigh.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't." Wheeljack's optics narrowed. "Don't start that." Icy Dawn frowned, and Ratchet cleared his throat.

"Icy Dawn, on Earth, we are robots in disguise." He spoke, and she looked back at him. "You can not seek the answers you need without an Earth-based vehicle-mode."

"Vehicle-mode?" Icy Dawn frowned, raising an optic-brow. "Primus mentioned something about a vehicle-mode..." The femme suddenly transformed into a vehicle - a _2012 Kawasaki Concours_ , a motorcycle. "Whoa! So fraggin' cool!" Icy Dawn transformed back, smiling brightly, and Wheeljack idly noticed that the motorcycle's wheels were on the backs of her legs, just above the ankle-joints. "Can I go to Earth, now?!"

"... Let me call ahead and explain some things, first." Ratchet sighed, shaking his helm. "Come back in an hour."

"Okay! Come on, Stubby!" Icy Dawn grabbed Wheeljack's arm. "I wanna go test out my paint-bombs, and I need a target!" The Wrecker raised an optic-brow.

"The training arena's-"

"I'm not talking about using a wall." Icy Dawn elaborated, and he blinked. "Question: how good are you at evading small projectiles flying at your faceplate?"

"What..?" Wheeljack's optics widened, and he looked back at Ratchet. "RATCHET, HURRY IT UP!" The medic started slowly typing at his computer as Icy Dawn dragged him off.

"At my age, this is as 'hurry it up' as it gets."

* * *

A monitor went off at Hanger E - or Autobot Outpost Omega Two -, signifying a call. A visiting Bulkhead, Arcee, Sari, and Bumblebee looked up. Raf, Miko, June, (surprisingly) Jack, and Special Agent William Fowler watched as Bumblebee walked over, answering the call.

"Ratchet?" Bumblebee asked, raising an optic-brow. "What's wrong?"

 _ **:**... Icy Dawn is requesting passage to Earth. **:**_ The medic admitted, then got angry. _**:** She believes that it may hold some memory, since a certain ninja scout mentioned a certain someone! **:**_ Arcee frowned, crossing her arms as she realized that this was her fault.

"What do we do?" She asked, seeming concerned. Ratchet sighed, seeming distressed.

 _ **:**... Tell them. **:**_ With that, the medic hung up. The humans walked over, looking up at the Autobots.

"What was that all about?" June asked, placing her hands on her hips. They didn't reply. "What are you hiding from us?"

"There's... Been an incident." Sari explained, and she noticed that Jack had stiffened up and gone pale. "Primus led us to a young femme with amnesia, and we're the only ones who can help her get her memories back."

"Icy Dawn." Jack whispered, his eyes wide in disbelief. Everyone turned and looked at him, surprised. Those were the first words he'd uttered to anyone since he received word of his sister's death. He'd come to see Arcee, but he hadn't talked to her either. He was just... Quiet.

"What's wrong?" Raf asked, seeming to grow worried. He noticed that Miko's body had tensed as well. Jack looked around at everyone, and he shakily raised his hand to his forehead.

"H-her artist-alias was Icy Dawn." Jack managed, and no one replied. "Jenna... She called herself _Icy Dawn_." All was silent, then...

"W-what?" June asked shakily, and she looked up at the Autobots with wide eyes. They turned their optics away. "... S-she's back, isn't she? M-my little girl is alive?"

"... Yes, June." Arcee replied quietly. "She is... Primus brought her back as a femme. But there was a mistake, and she lost her memory during the transfer. She can get it back, but it will take t-"

"Bring her here." June ordered, her eyes narrowing and filling with tears. "I have to see my baby."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Icy Dawn walked through a space-bridge, dragging a paint-covered an genuinely annoyed Wheeljack along behind her. They came out on the other side, and Icy Dawn looked around.

"So, this is Earth?" She asked, surprised. "Neat." She looked around, seeing three Autobots and one techno-organic. "Okay... It's Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Sari. Right?"

"Right." Sari nodded, smiling lightly. Then, she pointed to the floor. "Look down." The femme looked down to see several tiny organisms staring up at her with wide eyes. "Those are humans: the dominant species on this planet."

"Whoa." Icy Dawn kneeled, raising an optic-brow as she got a better look. "They're kinda funky-looking - but what must they think when they see us, eh? So... Did these guys know me before whatever it is that happened?"

"Yep." Bumblebee nodded in response. "We've explained everything. They're going to introduce themselves."

"Right." An older, human male stepped forward. "My name is Special Agent William Fowler of the United States Government, specifically Unit E. I am the official liaison between humanity and the Autobots." Icy Dawn blinked, then tilted her helm to the side.

"Okay... What's America?"

"It's a country." A young human female ran forward, her eyes wide. "I'm from a country that's called _Japan_ , and my name is Miko Nakadai! We were friends! I'm a Wrecker, like you!"

"... I still have absolutely no idea what a Wrecker is." Icy Dawn admitted, shrugging lightly. The humans' jaws dropped.

"What?!" Miko asked, drowning out the dull thud that came with Wheeljack slamming his helm into a wall. "How can you forget the Wreckers?! Being a Wrecker meant everything to you!"

"And it will, again." Bulkhead promised the human, trying to calm her down. "Once we get Ice back on her feet, that is." Icy Dawn raised an optic brow.

"What are feet?"

"Feet are the human version of peds or struts." The youngest human present, a male, said as he timidly looked up at her. "I'm R-Rafael Esquivel, but people call me _Raf_."

Something inside of Icy Dawn seemed to soften, her awkward confusion fading. She slowly extended a servo, and the human slowly climbed into it. She raised the youth up to optic level, and a strange feeling washed over her. It was like when she remembered her hatred of Starscream, but lighter. Happier.

"You're scared of me, aren't you?" Icy Dawn asked quietly. The human boy looked up, frowning.

"N-no." He lied, stuttering slightly. Icy Dawn slowly smiled at him.

"Raf, it's still me." The words came out automatically, but she didn't mind. "I'm still whoever I was before my accident. I've just changed a little bit... Okay, a lot. But it was this or offlining, and I think we both know that I'm WAY too stubborn to simply lie down and say _hello, Primus_... He's kind of a jerk, anyway." The boy's eyes were wide as he stared at the femme, stunned. Then...

"I'm glad you're not offline."

"Me, too. Death, so very boring." Icy Dawn gave a small laugh, and the boy giggled. She set him down, then looked at the final two humans present. It was a young human male, older than Raf, and a middle-aged human female. Icy Dawn could tell they were related, and they seemed very familiar.

"My... My name is Jackson Darby." The human male began quietly, staring at the femme in disbelief. "Or Jack. This is my mother, June Darby." The female wouldn't take her eyes off of Icy Dawn.

"... Wait, you're Jack?" Icy Dawn asked, confused. "That can't be right... Wheeljack said that I have a brother named Jack." All eyes and optics widened, those more-shocked gazing at Icy Dawn while those with more anger falling on her paint-stained companion, who looked alarmed as he gazed at the femme. "And if I'm a Cybertronian, how could he possibly be-?"

 ** _..._**

 ** _"What are we gonna do?!"_**

 ** _"I don't know... In case this is the end, I love ya, little sis."_**

 ** _"Don't get all lovey-dovey on me now, Jackson. I was just starting to tolerate you."_**

 _ **"Thanks for ruining the moment,** Snow Queen **."**_

 ** _..._**

 ** _"You can't just vanish again. You've given so much to the Autobots... What about your family? We need you, too."_**

 ** _"Mom... Don't you see? They are her family, too."_**

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn looked down at her shaking servos, her optics widening in disbelief and fear, and they briefly flashed in her vision, changing...

 ** _..._**

 _A little human child, a girl around the age of four years, cowered behind a trash-can as a male child, a boy around the age of five, noticed her. The girl wore a raggedy baby-blue dress, no shoes on her feet, and an oversized green hoodie. A TARDIS-backpack was on her back._

 _"H-hello?" The boy asked, and the girl backed away as he came closer. "What are you doing out here, all alone?" The girl didn't reply. Then..._

 _"Y-you shouldn't be alone out here, either."_

 _"I saw you from the window, looking through the garbage. Don't you have food at home?" The boy asked, and the girl slowly shook her head, still wary. "M-my mom's making hot-chocolate and popcorn. Y-you can come in my house and have some, if you want."_

 _"M-my mom said not to go anywhere with strangers."_

 _"... My name is Jack." The boy held out his hand. The girl slowly looked down at the hand, then back at the boy's face. Slowly, she reached out and took it._

 _"My name is-"_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn shot back into the present, a splitting pain in her processor, and she gripped the sides of her helm, wincing. Then, she looked back and glared at Wheeljack.

"What happened to me?" She asked coldly, and he blinked. "You all... You all have been lying to me! What happened, what was the accident that took my memories?!"

"... I don't think it's a good idea to tell you what happened." Wheeljack's optics narrowed slightly as he managed to snap out of his shock. "You won't like it."

"That's how it's gonna be?" Icy Dawn asked, absolutely furious. She saw the Autobots getting ready to move, and she recalled the exit she had seen... "Tell me... Do you have my signal registered, yet?"

"Y-you're an Autobot." Bumblebee began, nervous. "Of course we have your-" Icy Dawn turned around and scowled.

"I'm an Autobot?" She asked, and everyone just stared at her. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, I'm going to go and figure it out by myself!"

Icy Dawn transformed and drove through the tunnel that she somehow knew led out of the base. The door opened automatically as she drove at it, and she escaped into an open, familiar landscape.

Jasper.

* * *

 ** _Uh-oh. Jenna/Icy Dawn is starting to remember her past, but that's only making the situation worse. Now, she doesn't know who to trust and she's lost, confused, and scared._**

 ** _Just... Brilliant, eh?_**

 ** _I wanted her hatred of Starscream to be one of the first things to come back because -well -I don't know. But I think that her remembering that might help her in the long run, as she'll know to not trust the flying little shit. Also, it'll give her and Wheeljack SOMETHING to go on. She remembered an instance of her being fiercely protective, so she's got an idea of how close they were._**

 ** _As for those of you who might be cranky because Icy Dawn had a bigger reaction to meeting her human family than she has had at all with the Autobots, keep in mind that she thought that she was perfectly human for over seventeen years. June and Jack were her mother and brother, and seeing them was bound to cause some sort of reaction - especially due to Arcee and Wheeljack's slip-ups._**

 ** _I only own my OCs! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	4. The Story of How She Died

Jack stared after Icy Dawn as she drove away, his eyes wide, then he raised a hand to his mouth in order to stifle a sob, closing his eyes as his body shook. His mother walked up and hugged him from behind, tears in her eyes.

"... She remembers me." Jack managed, and June nodded shakily in reply. "It's faint, but I saw it. She knew me... We have to go after her. She's getting her memories back, and she's scared."

"Maybe she'll just come back when she's normal." Bulkhead shrugged lightly. Miko ran up next to him, glaring.

"Don't you get it?!" She asked, annoyed. "Imagine if she's alone when she remembers she was human, then techno-organic, and that she DIED! Icy Dawn... Jenna... Whatever! She will freak out!"

"And what if someone else finds her before we do?" Juse asked quietly, her eyes opening and widening. Then, she turned back to the Autobots and glared. "We never really knew what happened to all of MECH's members, and you told us that Starscream and Shockwave are missing. My daughter is alive, and if I lose her again, I swear to God that I will tear all of you to pieces and sell you for SCRAP METAL! And Cybertron will come to FEAR ME!"

* * *

Jack rode on Arcee as Wheeljack drove next to them with June in shotgun, and Jack could hear his mother swearing from inside the Wrecker's alt mode.

"She's REALLY angry." Arcee commented, sounding like she'd be cringing if she was in biped-mode. Jack looked down. "... I know you're mad. And I'm sorry, but Prime swore us to secrecy. It's only because we're trying to help her stimulate her memories that she was allowed to come to Earth at all - we're not supposed to stop her as long as what she's doing isn't particularly dangerous... It was my fault that she found out about you too early. Now, we've got to find her before she freezes up."

"Arcee, she's my sister! You couldn't just hide this from me, in any case!"

"I know - it was wrong! And do you think that you were the only one broken up by her death?!" Arcee lightly snapped, her voice cracking. "We had to watch! I had to watch! Optimus Prime, defender of humanity, had to watch a little girl die!"

"Okay, okay! I know you guys care about Jenna, too." Jack sighed, shaking his head. "... I hope she's alright."

"Yeah, for her and Wheeljack's sake."

"... You never said how Wheeljack took it." Jack looked up, frowning slightly under his helmet. "When you called... You'd mention everyone else, but not him."

"Well... Jenna's death hit him hard." Arcee replied quietly. "He went into a state that no one or thing could shake him out of. He didn't fuel up, didn't recharge, barely spoke, left at all hours and came back drunk on high-grade. And when he was around, he'd just look at us restoring Cybertron with this look, and we knew he was thinking about her. How she would have loved it, how he should have seen what was wrong and saved her. He was so angry, at the universe and at himself... When Primus led us to her, he thought it was some sick joke. And now, I'm not sure how he is. Icy Dawn is so different from Jenna, and he's stuck with her until we get Jenna back."

"So... He took it really, REALLY badly." Jack assumed, looking down. "I could have guessed that. They were really close."

"Yeah... That's the way it is, with partners."

* * *

June finally managed to calm down, and she sat back in her seat, gazing out the window with a tried and almost-empty expression on her face. All was silent for a long moment, then...

"We'll find her, June." Wheeljack's voice assured, and the nurse idly raised an eyebrow. "I promise, we'll get her back safe."

"You _promise_?" June scoffed lightly, crossing her arms. "You promised me that you would protect her." June looked up at the roof of the car. "That she'd be safe, always. That I would never have to worry, that you would always be around to make sure she was alright."

"... I know." Wheeljack replied quietly. "I'm sorry." June closed her eyes.

"'I'm sorry' doesn't take all of her pain away and give my baby back to me." She announced softly. "She was perfectly safe until you came along. After that, everything became hard for her and she was always getting hurt and pulled into situations that she couldn't handle. Now, she's lost and she's scared... And I'm sorry, but I blame you."

"Well... That makes two of us."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

A _2012 Kawasaki Concours_ drove down a desert highway, the consciousness controlling is panicking.

"Why did I used to have hands?! Why was I tiny?! Was I..?" A yelp of pain, and the motorcycle swerved. "Human?! No, no... Techno-organic." The teal headlight-beam briefly flashed brown. "Starscream tortured me, tried to kill me. And then... PRIMUS' PROPHECY!"

The motorcycle drove off-road and crashed into the desert, transforming back into a femme as it rolled into the sand. The young Cybertronian kneeled and winced, gripping the sides of her helm with her sevos and closing her optics, pain evident on her faceplate as weak fragments of memories flashed.

 ** _..._**

 ** _"_** ** _Wheeljack... I think what you're going through isn't because of Dreadwing. It's because of the Wreckers. You're scared of losing anyone else, of ending up alone, without your friends and brothers... This might not mean much, but you're not losing me. If you decide to leave again, I'm coming with. You'll never shake me, Wrecker. Not until I'm dead."_**

 ** _..._**

The femme looked up, her optics opening and widening, her expression surprised. She was panicking, and that was causing her processor to overload as her memories fought to return all too quickly.

"I-I need answers... B-but not from the Autobots..." The femme stood up, her optics narrowing. "The _Harbinger_." The femme transformed and drove off into the night.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Arcee and Wheeljack had been driving with Jack and June for two hours, and night had fallen. Then, they noticed tire-tracks going off the road, stopping with indentations in the sand where Icy Dawn must have transformed, then more tracks leading off into the desert.

"Where is she going?" Arcee asked, confused as they drove over. Jack frowned, looking down and thinking. She was heading for a canyon, and in that particular canyon was...

"The _Harbinger_." Jack realized, looking up with wide eyes. "She's looking for the _Harbinger_."

 _ **:** The **Harbinger**? **:**_ June asked over the comms. _**:** Why would she want to find the **Harbinger**? **:**_

 _ **:** The Decepticon records. **:**_ Wheeljack recalled, his tone serious. _**:** She wants answers, and they're there. The 'Cons research all of their enemies, and Jenna was near the top of the charts... We should be good, as long as she hasn't remembered her real name, yet. **:**_

"Good?" Jack asked, confused. "Isn't this whole thing a good thing? I mean, if she accesses the files, it might help her with her memories."

"No, Jack." Arcee disagreed, and Jack looked down at her. "Her mind is fragile, right now. Seeing those images will do nothing good, they'll overwhelm her as her mind tries to make sense of it all and fails. It could prolong this whole thing, or cause irreversible damage. We could lose Jenna for good."

 _ **:** That ain't gonna happen. **:**_ Wheeljack growled, and he drove off into the desert. Jack blinked, then he and Arcee quickly followed.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Icy Dawn drove up to a wrecked ship and transformed, glaring as she raised a servo toward her helm, then she paused and let it fall to her side. The femme walked into the _Harbinger_ , gazing around before walking up to a computer.

Icy Dawn started typing, and she synced the database of the _Harbinger_ with that of the _Nemesis_. She didn't know how she remembered how to do that sort of thing, but she did and thanked Primus that she did. Her optics widened as the screen flashed bright-blue, then narrowed.

"Okay. Let's try this." She decided, and she typed in _prophecies_. A list appeared, and she read through them. "Let's see. _The return of Unicron_ \- nope. _The restoration of the Well of Allsparks_..." Her optics narrowed, and she clicked the link. "

 ** _The child of Primus and Unicron_**

 ** _Will come to Cybertron's new dawn_**

 ** _And see the old world return to dark_**

 ** _Before lighting it up at the cost of her spark._** " She flinched lightly, then continued to read. " _This prophecy foretold the final battle for Cybertron before its total restoration. Young techno-organic Jenna Darby fulfilled it by absorbing the Allspark into her body and defeating an army of resurrected Predacon corpses being controlled by Unicron the Chaos-Bringer before returning the Allspark to its rightful place, a miraculous feat which cost her life._ " Icy Dawn blinked, then typed the name _Jenna Darby_ into the computer. "Okay. A file of recorded sightings of Jenna Darby. Let's see..."

 ** _..._**

 _A young human girl with long, wild brown hair, brown eyes, and light freckles wearing jeans, sneakers, a graphic t-shirt, and a green hoodie watched with wide eyes as Bumblebee and Arcee fought some Vehicons._

 _"Okay." She managed to speak, Jack and Raf standing behind her and wildly gesturing for her to get back. "Dark cars with red eyes and car and motorcycle with blue eyes. Blue-eyes protecting us, red-eyes trying to kill us... I do believe the blue-eyes are the good guys and the red-eyes are the bad guys, which means that I should do this!" The girl pulled out a taser, charged it to full power, and fired it at an evil robots's leg. The feed cut._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn blinked, surprised, then her optics narrowed slightly.

"Okay, then. Who exactly are you, Jenna Darby?" She inquires quietly, continuing to watch the clips. The human's voice and actions seemed very familiar...

 ** _..._**

 _Optimus and Ratchet watched in horror as Cybertronian corpses advanced towards them as Megatron laughed, when suddenly..._

 _"Is that one of Jenna's bombs?" Ratchet asked, surprised. A silver device hit a reawakened warrior, and the explosion of colorful paint made all it hit fizzle and offline. Optimus and Ratchet turned to see Jenna standing on a large rock, her eyes narrowed as she readied another bomb._

 _"Stay away from my friends!" The child snapped, then threw the bomb. Six more warriors fell, and the human looked up at the Autobots. "Start fighting!" The Prime and the medic began battling the undead, seeing more bombs go off every few seconds as Jenna bought them time. The mechs discovered their blasts didn't work on the warriors and began cutting them to pieces. The Autobots slowly grew exhausted in the midst of battle._

 _"Optimus..." Ratchet sighed, shaking his helm. "This prolonged exposure to Dark Energon is sapping our strength."_

 _"We cannot falter now." Optimus replied, and they resumed the battle, only to get swarmed and overwhelmed until a rain of blue and white paint hit the undead covering Ratchet and made them fizzle out. Yellow paint freed Optimus. The two stood, Ratchet with an injured arm, to see..._

 _"Yah-hoo!" Jenna crowed, riding on a thrashing undead-warrior and throwing paint-bombs from the higher vantage-point. "This is so cool..!" She tasered the warrior she rode upon and leapt off, landing at Ratchet and Optimus' Leda and looking up at them with a broad grin. "Where would you two be without me?" Optimus picked the girl up, his narrowed optics looking for injuries. "I'm fine, Optimus! I tasered any Zombie-'Bots who got too close!"_

 _"You should not have come." Optimus told her sternly. Jenna only shrugged, smiling nervously._

 _"A good follower knows when it is and isn't a good time to follow orders... Shouldn't you be fighting evil right now?"_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn raised an optic-brow, mildly irked by the girl.

"She certainly was a reckless little thing." She noted, then she crossed her arms. "And did I get my paint-bomb thing from her?"

 ** _..._**

 _In the Autobot base, Jenna shoved Miko out of the way and got grabbed by who appeared to be Wheeljack, and she held back a scream as she was lifted into the air._

 _"Jenna!" Jack shouted, reaching out with wide eyes. Wheeljack ran to the ground bridge controls._

 _"Stay back!" He ordered, and his voice had changed. An imposter. "Or I'll squeeze her into pulp!" Jenna gulped, her eyes wide._

 _"I'd rather not. I like life..."_

 _"Decepticon coward!" Bulkhead snapped, and the fake's grip on Jenna got tighter. "Let the girl go and face me!"_

 _"Don't fret." The fake smirked deviously. "Plenty of fighting to come!"_

 _"Is there a real Wheeljack?!" Jack asked, inching towards a bag on the ground. Jenna mouthed the word bomb._

 _"Oh, indeed! And I suppose Lord Starscream is making sport of him." The fake replied, grinning maliciously. Bulkhead glared at the fake, worry in his optics._

 _"YOU ASSHOLE!" Jenna shouted, then she cried out as the fake's grip tightened even more. The fake input some coordinates, and the ground bridge went online._

 _"About time." He smirked, and Jenna fought as she was carried towards the swirling vortex. Jack had one of her bombs in his hand, now. Jenna looked up at him, her eyes wide, then she closed her eyes, wincing before shouting._

 _"Guys, don't worry about me! Shut the bridge, or everyone's gonna die!" The girl exclaimed, trying to hide her fear. "Either way, he's gonna kill me!" No one moved. "Stop being sentimental idiots! Shut the damn ground bridge!" They stayed frozen, and Jenna began beating on the giant fist that still held her in the air._

 _"Let's get this party started." The fake laughed cruelly. Suddenly, the Decepticon lurched forward, Jenna flying out of his servo and into Bulkhead's. Jenna looked up to see another Wheeljack kick the fake into a wall, and her eyes widened._

 _"I'd shut that hole before the stink comes through." The real Wheeljack warned, grabbing his swords from his back and focusing on the fake. Ratchet obeyed. Bulkhead moved to attack as the two identical mechs circled each other, but one Wheeljack - likely the real one - stopped him. "Ugly's mine." The real Wrecker, an expert swordsman, easily defeated the Decepticon copy and sheathed his swords._

 _"That's my 'Jackie." Bulkhead commented, grinning. Wheeljack turned to Ratchet, frowning._

 _"You, hit the switch. It's time to take out the trash." The white and grey Wrecker stated, then he noticed how Bulkhead was glaring at the fake. "All yours, buddy."_

 _"Wait." Jenna glared, marching up with a bomb in her hand. "This is for making me look like a damsel-in-distress, bitch." Jenna threw the bomb, and the Decepticon's face and upper body we covered in bubbly blue, bright pink, and yellow. Bulkhead picked the fake up and chucked him through the ground bridge, and the feed cut._

 ** _..._**

"Huh..." Icy Dawn blinked, surprised. "He saved that little girl's life." Her surprised expression slowly became a small smile. "I guess that Wheeljack isn't so bad, after all."

 ** _..._**

 _A girl stood before a massive barn, grinning as she held a can of spray-paint._

 _"Freeze!" A voice shouted, and her body tensed. "Hands in the air, and turn around slowly!" She turned around to see a lone polive-officer step out of his car, and she put her hands up._

 _"Isn't it a nice evening, Officer?" She asked, smiling nervously. The officer had a blank expression._

 _"You're coming with me, Jenna Darby." He stated in a monotone voice. The girl froze up, her eyes wide._

 _"I-I don't recall giving you my name, Officer." She stuttered, and yhe cop glared before he flickered and vanished. The police car changed into a Vehicon, who aimed his blaster at the girl._

 _"Lord Megatron requests your presence, fleshling."_

 _"Okay, let's make an appointment. I'm free three days after NEVER!" Jenna ran towards her bike, grabbing her bag, but her hood flew back and the Vehicon grabbed it. The girl was lifted into the air, her frizzy hair going everywhere in the windy night, her eyes wide in terror as she began to struggle. The Vehicon transformed, and Jenna came out in the back of the car. "No! Let me go, you walking tin can!"_

 _"Lord Megatron, I have captured the artist."_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn's optics narrowed slightly, her frame tensing slightly.

"That ain't good... This girl really pissed these Decepticons off, didn't she?"

 ** _..._**

 _The Vehicon drove for a while before it transformed, holding Jenna in its servo. The girl looked up, glaring as she struggled."_

 _"Let me go!"_

 _"Sure, right into the incinerator, you little nuisance!"_

 _"If you're gonna kill me, why not shoot me now and get it over with! It's the only way to shut me up!"_

 _"That would be too good for an Autobot pet. You're going to tell us where the Autobot Base is, and if you don't... You will know the true meaning of pain, fleshling."_

 _"I don't care." The girl scowled up at the Decepticon. "I'd rather die than betray my friends, even though they can be a bunch of jackasses... Torture me, kill me! Drive me insane! I will never tell you where the Autobot Base is!" She crossed her arms. "So... Get fragged!"_

 _"Why, you little-!"_

 _"Well, now!" Wheeljack suddenly stepped into into view. "Kidnapping, 'Con? Not cool, even for you guys... You doing alright, kid?"_

 _"Just peachy." Jenna commented, rolling her eyes. Wheeljack gestured to the pastel colors covering the Vehicon._

 _"That your work?"_

 _"Yeah... Just like the warehouse down the road."_

 _"Saw that one, actually. Excellent use of pyrotechnics. Consider me a new fan, artist..." Wheeljack winked and smirked, then glared at tHe girl's captor. "Are you gonna let my friend go, 'Con? Or am I gonna have to hurt you?" Wheeljack pulled out his katanas._

 _"One step, and I crush her." The Decepticon replied coldly. Jenna's eyes narrowed dangerously._

 _"You know... My number-one pet peeve is a two-parter..." The girl stated darkly. "Part one: I hate looking like a damsel-in-distress. Part two..." She whipped out her taser. "I hate being underestimated!" Jenna plunged the taser into the Decepticon's servo, yelping as she got electrocuted with him. Wheeljack caught Jenna as she was released, and all went black as the Decepticon fell._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn blinked, surprised, then her smile returned.

"Hmm. Never knew that he had a soft side." She noted, then she gave a small laugh. "It's kinda cute! Makes me wonder what happened to make him such a stiff."

 ** _..._**

 _Wheeljack walked out to face a blue and gold Decepticon, Jenna on his rotator-cup._

 _"I wasn't certain you'd come." The Decepticon admitted, frowning. Jenna crossed her arms, rolling her eyes._

 _"I don't like unfinished business." Wheeljqck replied coldly. Dreadwing noticed the girl, and he smirked._

 _"You brought your little pet to a fight, Wheeljack?"_

 _"I'm not a pet!" Jenna snapped, readying to grab some weapons. "Didn't Megatron tell you how I scrapped his undead army and escaped two of his people's attempts to capture me? I'm the one you should be afraid of." The Decepticon's optics now had a slight twinge of fear in them, then he and Wheeljack both grabbed their bombs and chucked them, and they collided in mid-air. That bought time for Jenna to pitch a paint-bomb and blind the Decepticon._

 _"Your aim's getting better." Wheeljack grinned, drawing his swords, and his partner gave a bow. Wheeljack charged, and the Decepticon ran. Wheeljack gave chase, Jenna still on his rotator cup, and the Decepticon set off bombs he'd already laid to cover his escape. "That all you got?!" THe Decepticon was cornered, and Wheeljack smirked deviously. "If you're thinking about flying outta here..."_

 _"Think again." Bulkhead finished from his position on a ledge. The Decepticon slowly smirked, and Wheeljack noticed that Bulkhead was standing right on top of a bomb._

 _"Bulkhead!" The bomb went off, and Wheeljack protected Jenna as they were buried in rocks._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn covered her mouth with her servo, shocked, then blinked and slowly let her servo fall, stunned.

"... Dreadwing." She recalled quietly. "He killed... He killed Seaspray. A Wrecker." She raised a servo to the side of her helm, closing her optics. "Wheeljack was furious... I was furious... She opened her optics, surprised. "I was furious? Did I... Know Seaspray?" She blinked, then shook her helm. "No. No, I didn't... But I knew Wheeljack." Her optics slowly narrowed, a frown on her face. "And he was so upset... I wanted Dreadwing to pay."

 ** _..._**

 _Bulkhead was running towards a ledge that lead into a harbor. Suddenly, Wheeljack was there and holding his servos out, his optics wide. Jenna was on his rotator-cup._

 _"Bulkhead, stop!" Wheeljack pleaded, placing himself between Bulkhead and the water. Bulkhead didn't stop._

 _"Out of my way!" He shouted, and he slammed into Wheeljack. The white Wrecker wouldn't move, and he fought to hold Bulkhead as he kept moving._

 _"Will you listen to me, Bulk?!" Wheeljack asked, straining, then he finally managed to hold Bulkhwad back. "You were right! Dreadwing's the only one who can defuse it! And, Optimus knows it, too!" Dreadwing and Optimus ran out of the maze of containers, and Jenna laughed._

 _"You each owe me twenty bucks!" She cheered, and Optimus trapped the Decepticon under a giant magnet. The Wreckers and Jenna went over, and Dreadwing glared uo at them._

 _"Dreadwing..." Optimus began, glaring. "Defuse the bomb, or fall victim to your own device."_

 _"That's some stone-cold irony." Jenna nodded in approval. Dreadwing scoffed, scowling up at the Prime._

 _"I will gladly sacrifice myself to avenge my brother!"_

 _"Then, we will, in turn, gladly join the Allspark with our brother."_

 _"And with you." Wheeljack smirked and crossed his arms. "You'll never shake us."_

 _"But, the child!" Dreadwing argued, looking at Jenna. "You would let a human stay?!"_

 _"Not like we could make her leave." Wheeljack commented in reply, and Jenna looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "We're partners. We don't leave."_

 _"... Well, hello God." Jenna sighed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. Then, she looked at Wheeljack and grinned. "Just kidding. I'll send everyone a letter from my palace in Hell." They waited, testing Dreadwing's resolve..._

 _"Very well." He finally decided, sighing. They let the Decepticon up, and he pulled the blue wire. The bomb timer stopped, and Bulkhead sighed in relief._

 _"I GET ANOTHER TWENTY BUCKS, BITCHES!" Jenna exclaimed, throwing her arms up and smiling as Wheeljack rolled his optics in annoyance. "That's forty from Bulkhead and 'Jackie, making eighty total."_

 _"I had it narrowed down to the blue." Wheeljack lied quickly, then gave up. "Or the yellow. Or the red."_

 _"Dreadwing's blue." Jenna stated, looking at him with a light smirk. "It was pretty obvious." Several bombs went off, and Dreadwing escaped._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn rolled her optics, crossing her arms and gazing at the screen with a raised optic-brow.

"This girl really is wild." She notes to herself. "Makes it easy to tell why she isn't around, anymore. Crazy girl probably got herself killed, with the way she acted." The next file was just a recording.

 ** _..._**

 _"What is it?"  
_

 _ **"Nice operation you got here, Megatron. Although, technically, you might say it's under new management."**_

 _"Wheeljack. The one who enjoys explosive devices. Is your little human pet going to say hello?"_

 _ **"What can I say, chief? I'm uncouth. Yeah, my partner's here. And right now, we're sitting on top of one of your big, juicy mining ops."**_

 _ **"And ready to kick ass. Your undead army wanted me to tell** you **it said hello from Hell, Bucket Head."**_

 _"The loss of one asset is hardly a blow to the Decepticon cause."_

 _ **"Maybe, but we're gonna keep on hitting them, one by one, until you give us what we want."**_

 _"And what, pray tell, would that be?"_

 _ **"The Insecticon scum who tried to frag Bulkhead."**_

 _"Tried?! Are you saying the Autobot lives?!"_

 _"He is bluffing!"_

 _ **"Wouldn't be on it. So, here's the deal: I'm gonna transmit the coordinates of our next target. If Hardshell cares to meet us there, maybe he can save you from another loss. And Megatron, just in case you ever wondered what three tons of exploding Energon sounds like-"**_

 _ **BOOM!**_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn blinked, then frowned as she took a small step back, gazing at the screen uncertainly. She knew that word, _Insecticon_ , and it kinda creeped her out. And Megatron... They said he feared her.

"Hm." Icy Dawn hummed slightly. "Optimus said I fought _undead armies_ , and so did this girl. Maybe she helped me when I had to do it."

 ** _..._**

 _A white, green, and orange/red car drove up to a large cave._

 _"You in there, bug?!" Wheeljack's voice asked, rage evident. The opponent - an Insecticon - appeared on the ridge and leapt down, and Wheeljack barely backed up in time. Jenna climbed out of shotgun, and Wheeljack began the battle, but the Decepticon had thrown Wheeljack's only grenade out of reach. Then, Hardshell threw the white Wrecker to the ground._

 _"Thanks to your crippled friend, I am all too familiar with your Wrecker tricks!" He insisted, raising his claws. Jenna grabbed a grey-colored bomb, her eyes narrowing._

 _"Know any of mine?!" Jenna demanded, then she pitched the bomb and smoke erupted from it on contact with Hardshell's optics, blinding him. "You're not worth being on the receiving end of any of my masterpieces, bitch!" That gave Wheeljack time to get up and draw his twin swords, resuming the battle._

 _"What's the matter, Harshell?" Wheeljack asked, livid as he drove te Insecticon back. "Not used to fighting a 'Bot who hasn't been doused in Tox-En?!" Hardshell caught a sword._

 _"Talk during battle is a sign of weakness!" He insisted, trying to use Wheeljack's temper to his advantage. Wheeljack scoffed and fought back harder._

 _"Only if you're too primitive to do two things at once!" He replied, then Hardshell blindsided him and kicked Jenna into a wall. The Insecticon began beating the scrap out of the white and grey Wrecker while Jenna laid there, motionless._

 _"Go for the grenade!" A voice, Miko's, shouted from the waiting **Jackhammer**. Wheeljack tried, but Hardshell saw it coming and blocked him. After a few more thrashings, Wheeljack was nearly unconscious and Jenna was down for the count. Wheeljack looked up and saw her motionless form, then he looked at the ship._

 _"Go, kid... Get out of here..."_

 _"Your spark will now belong to Megatron, and your pet will be incinerated for her crimes!" Hardshell raised a clawed servo to finish Wheeljack... Then, he was blown away by a middle from the **Jackhammer**. Wheeljack grabbed Jenna and limped to the **Jackhammer** , and they escaped._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn had a servo over her mouth, her optics wide as she gazed at the screen.

"They almost..." Before she could react any further, the next clip began with unbelievable speed. It was almost like an outside force WANTED her to see it.

 ** _..._**

 _Jenna stood in a canister-like container in a dark cell. Her eyes were narrowed, and she growled lowly at the mech - a Decepticon - who was scowling down at her._

 _"AND YOUR MOM ALSO-" Jenna was interrupted when the mech shoved her container, and sheswung back and forth, quickly getting dizzy. "That was not cool, asshole!"_

 _"Well, Wheeljack." Starscream smirked evilly, turning around. Wheeljack was there, just barely waking up, hanging from the ceiling by his cuffed servos. "You went into stasis, so I've had to entertain your little pet."_

 _"Boring..." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Someone take the remote and change the channel, before I-" The Decepticon used his cattle-prod to shock the box, and Jenna cried out, falling to her hands and knees._

 _"Silence, human." THe Decepticon sneered down at her. Jenna gasped for a few moments, her body shaking, then she looked up and glared._

 _"Sure. I'll be quiet when I'm dead, Decepticreep."_

 _"Jenna, quiet!" Wheeljack warned, his optics narrowing. "Don't get yourself killed!" The girl blinked, then sighed and nodded, then the Decepticon began interrogating Wheeljack._

 _Jenna tried to escape, but my her weapons were useless on the container. When Wheeljqck refused to talk, Starsceam began torturing him partner, leaving two long scratches on his chestplate and electrocuting him, and Jenna's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously._

 _"You leave him alone, 'Screamer, or I swear that I'll carve your spark out with a plastic spoon!"_

 _"... Neither responding to pain inflicted on themselves, the girl will not be talking, and the Wrecker is very protective of his little pet." The Decepticon noted, walking over and scratching the girl's container with his claws. She winced, covering her ears. "In conclusion, to make the Wrecker talk... Let's have some fun with his little human pet."_

 _"What?!" Wheeljack and Jenna both asked, Wheeljack shocked while Jenna seemed confused. Jenna was lifted out of her container and hung by her arms from some chains, and the mech readied his cattle-prod, smirking._

 _"They say a cattle-prod less powerful than this could make the mighty Optimus Prime scream." He noted, and Wheeljack's optics narrowed dangerously. "I wonder what it would do to a human child..." Jenna gulped as the large, sparking device was brought closer to her body._

 _"I-if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not find out."_

 _"Well, Wheeljack?" The Decepticon asked, looking back at the Wrecker. "Do you feel like talking?" Jenna looked Wheeljack in the optics and shook her head, and his optics widened. "No? Well, that's just rude!" Jenna screamed as she was was jabbed with the cattle-prod, closing her eyes as the bloodcurdling cry rang out and her body was surrounded by purple, crackling electricity. The device was removed, and the girl's body fell limp, hanging motionlessly from the chains. "Well, human?"_

 _"G-go to Hell." Jenna muttered, and the mech scowled before he threw her into her container and left. A few moments passed, then Jenna took a deep breath and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. Wheeljack was still staring in mute shock. "... You gonna say something?"_

 _"Are you hurt?!"_

 _"Heh... Something smart?"_

 _"Jenna, they'll keep torturing you until I crack, and I really have nothing to tell them!"_

 _"I know." Jenna looked up, frowning slightly. "But they'll keep us alive as long as they think we know something... I'm not letting you die."_

 _"Oh, so you're protecting me now, Snow Queen?"_

 _"Hell yeah, Wheeljack-ass." Jenna smiled, and Wheeljack blinked. Then he sighed and looked down, showing his exhaustion._

 _"Stupid kid..."_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn paused the feed, gazing at the screen with a frown. Her right servo shook slightly, but her left servo grabbed the wrist and steadied it, then she looked back up at the screen. A long moment passed...

"Hmm." Icy Dawn gave a small smile. "He really is a softy, isn't he? I hope they both got out of this..." Her optics narrowed slightly, a frown forming. "And that mech... He was Starscream." A low growl escaped her lips as that strange, unknown anger returned. "I understand the hate, now. Who wouldn't hate someone like that?" With that, she pressed 'play' and allowed the video-feed to continue.

 ** _..._**

 _Wheeljack shouted curses as Jenna was electrocuted for what must have been the thousandth time. She screamed, her eyes closed, then she gasped as Starscream pulled the prod away. Her head was bowed, her whole body shaking, but she slowly looked up and gave a dark chuckle._

 _"Aw!" She cooed as Starscream scowled. "Wittle 'Screamy is gonna have a itty-bitty wittle **temper tantrum**!"_

 _"Grr... Shockwave!" Starscream snapped, and a huge, one-eyed Decepticon exited the shadows. "What should the next course of action be?! I cannot get either to say anything!" The mech looked at Wheeljack and Jenna, then he looked back at Starscream._

 _"The human is of no use to us. I recommend a cortical psychic-patch for the Wrecker."_

 _"Then, what shall I do with the human girl?"_

 _"We shall see what the patch yields, then determine her fate."_

 _"Leave him alone!" Jenna snapped as Wheeljack was removed from his place hanging from the ceiling and held at blaster-point as he was led out of the room. "Leave my parter alone, or I swear I'll rip your spark out, you-" Jenna screamed as she was electrocuted again, and she fell to her hands and knees. The look of hatred and anger on Wheeljack's face would have terrified most._

 _"Not long, now." Starscream chuckled, looking down at the girl as he dropped her body back into her container. "Energon and organics don't mix." Wheeljack went to step back, looking ready to tear the Decepticon's head off, but then he was electrocuted to near-unconsciousness and taken away._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn's optics widened, her servo raising to her spark-chamber. She stared at the screen in silence. That girl, those words, that scream...

"It can't be..." She paused the feed and remained in silence for a long moment. That little girl, could she be..? Icy Dawn took a step back and turned away, shaking her helm. She winced, raising her servos to the side of her helm and closing her optics. "It can't be, it can't..."

But it made some sense. The boy, Jack - he couldn't be a Cybertronian's brother. But another human or techno-organic's brother? It was possible, nay probable. And if she was a techno-organic, like Sari, it was possible that her consciousness - her spark - could have been removed and transferred to another shell. And it would explain her hatred for Starscream...

Icy Dawn turned back to the screen, frowning, then she slowly approached. Her servo reached out, shaking once more, and her other servo reached out and calmed it again. Icy Dawn parted her lips and took in some air before releasing it, her version of a deep breath, then she unpaused the feed.

 ** _..._**

 _Wheeljack woke up, and Jenna was lifted out of her container, once again being placed in chains and hung from the ceiling. Starscream chuckled darkly as he looked at the two of them._

 _"The cortical psychic-patch yielded nothing, so I'm afraid that you are no longer of any use to us. Time to snuff an Autobot and squash a bug."_

 _"No!" Wheeljack shouted, now wide-awake and livid. "Leave the human alone, 'Screamer, or I swear I'll tear you to pieces!"_

 _"Hmm... Tear to pieces? What an interesting concept..." Starscream unsheathed his claws, and the girl looked terrified as one was pressed to her stomach. "How hard shall I have to press to run you through?" The claw had barely touched her and it had already left a cut deep enough to bleed through the girl's teal and black armor. Wheeljack couldn't move, only stare in horror. "Any last words, human?"_

 _"I-I don't want to die." The girl admitted, then she glared up at Starscream. Her arms moved slightly... "But I'm not afraid." Jenna looked over at Wheeljack, smirking. "Five seconds. One!" She flicked her wrists, and a paint-bomb soared at the machine that held Wheeljack in the air. Another flew at Starscream's face, and they both exploded near-simultaneously. The machine was instantly decorated by silver, gold, teal, and green paint, which made the machine fizzle and shut down. "Two!" Starscream was blinded by blue, pink, and yellow, and he took a swipe at the girl before stumbling away. Wheeljack drew his blades and ran over to cut the girl free from the chains. She landed on her feet and doubled over slightly after Wheeljack had turned away, and she bared gritted teeth in pain. "Three..." Jenna stood up straighter as Wheeljack moved to run out the open door, grabbing her stomach and wincing. She seemed weak, tired, and scared... "Four..."_

 _"Come on, partner!" Wheeljack grinned, looking back at her. "We gotta get outta here!" Jenna didn't look up, and he quickly grew worried, his expression falling. "Partner?" Jenna slowly looked up at him, pulling her arm away from her stomach to reveal dark blood spreading across her armor from a wound in her stomach, the crimson liquid couting the armor on her arm. Wheeljack's optics widened in shock. "Jenna?"_

 _"Sorry, 'Jackie." Jenna gave a weak smile. "Just wasn't fast enough this time." Her legs gave out and she collapsed, and Wheeljack reached out._

 _"KID!" He shouted, then he barely dodged blaster-fire as more Decepticons arrived. He looked back at Jenna's partner, his expression distressed, then he bowed his helm and closed his optics, gripping the hills of his blades tighter. "I'm sorry..." Te Wrecker ran off, and as soon as he had recovered, Starscream personally carried the little body to the top of the citadel she had been imprisoned in and flung her off like a discarded piece of trash._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn paused the feed and gazed at the screen with a frown. She wasn't shocked despite what she had seen, she was just confused. Slowly, she crossed her arms and looked down, giving a small sigh as she closed her optics.

"So... That's why he hates talking about that." She noted quietly, then she looked up with narrowed optics. "But that doesn't make sense. Optimus said that I was 'injured' saving him. This isn't the end." She blinked, then her expression turned forlorn. "But Wheeljack thought it was." With that, Icy Dawn unpaused the feed.

 ** _..._**

 _Wheeljack faced a massive robotic dragon, firing at it, but the creature swung its tail and knocked him into a boulder, boring down on him. A figure in teal suddenly arrived, spreading huge wings and whipping out blasters in her hands, firing wildly at the robotic monstrosity._

 _"Well, ugly?" The figure asked snarkily. "You gonna fight me or stand there gawking all day?" The dragon charged the figure, and she whipped out glowing wrist blades like Sari's except longer and thinner, starting to fight the monster while Bulkhead arrived and helped Wheeljack to his peds. "Aw, how cute! You actually think you stand a chance!" The dragon got mad and increased attack strength, but so did the figure. The monster brought a paw down on her, and she blocked the attack with her blades, chuckling. "For someone your size, I expected more!" The dragon opened its mouth to breathe fire, and the girl deactivated one blade and activated one of her blasters again, shot an energy blast down its throat. Miko began cheering, and even Bulkhead began to clap. Wheeljack simply stared in awe._

 _"I know those moves from somewhere..." He spoke quietly. The dragon looked at Wheeljack and moved to attack him, but the figure fired the energy blasters in her hands at the metal beast, keeping its attention on her._

 _"Got any ideas?!" The figure asked, growing worried as the dragon's attacks didn't falter. She dodged in attack from the tail that left a crater in the ground where she had just been standing._

 _"Get him into the mine!" Wheeljack shouted, his optics narrowing. The figure nodded, and she started running with the white Wrecker towards the mine, the dragon on their tails. A few tense moments later, Wheeljack drove out in his vehicle mode, the figure flying next to him. Transforming, they skidded to a stop next to Miko and Bulkhead, and Wheeljack raised the detonator, smirking deviously. "And the walls came tumblin' down." The mine exploded in a blue inferno._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn gave a small fist-pump, grinning. Then, she blinked in surprise as she gazed at the screen.

"So... I was a techno-organic?" She asked, tilting her helm to the side. "That explains all of these mods I have - they must have included them when they built this shell to lessen the shock when I woke up from my 'accident', whatever it was. But still... Why was I with Primus?"

 ** _..._**

 _Bulkhead, Jenna, and Wheeljack threw bombs at the base of the citadel._

 _"Fire in another hole." Wheeljack smirked, throwing another bomb. Jenna threw a large paint-bomb, decorating Darkmount with neon and pastel shades of blue, yellow, pink, orange, and green. Time passed, then they charged the tower as what remained of Starscream's armada mobilized and attacked. Bulkhead used a gun, Jenna fired energy blasters in her palms, and Wheeljack used a plasma whip. They chased the Decepticons off, and then it got quiet._

 _"I've got a bad feeling about this." Jenna muttered, then she looked up and blinked in surprise. "Well... It's been nice rolling with the Wreckers. See you boys in Hell." A roar rang out, and the dragon swooped down for the attack. The three began firing, but the monster was fast. A ship flew overhead and landed a lucky strike, and the beast chased after it. Then, Shockwave joined the fight and, with one shot, he threw Wheeljack and Bulkhead onto their backs._

 _"Your mission was most illogical."_

 _"Nah." A voice spoke, and all all looked to see Jenna - her helmet engaged and her wings flapping lightly behind her, the Vehicons all around her pretty much destroyed - aiming her energy blasters at Shockwave. Her optics were narrowed. "Attacking my friends was most illogical. Lower the weapon and back away."_

 _"Or what, techno-organic?"_

 _"Well, here's some cold equations." Jenna deadpanned lightly. "You can't run fast, I have blasters aimed at the weakest point on your helm, and I'm a Wrecker. You seriously just asked me 'or what?'?" Acannon tapped Jenna's back, ten Vehicons standing behind her. "Aw, scrap..." The citadel was eventually destroyed when Optimus arrived - now as the upgraded version -, and the Wreckers escaped._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn gave a small chuckle, shaking her head.

"Well... I certainly was a brave little thing." She noted quietly, and she looked up with a smile. "No wonder Wheeljack's so frustrated with me as I am, now."

 ** _..._**

 _An explosion went off, and Sari and Jenna flew Miko to a rising platform for a ship, but Starscream saw them and walked over, smirking._

 _"Miko, is it?" He asked, and Miko cringed. "And who would your friends..?" Starscream stared at Sari in horror. "Sari Sundac."_

 _"Miss me, 'Screamer?" Sari asked, chuckling lightly. "I'm back..!" Starscream backed away, fear in his optics._

 _"If you're here, and that's Miko, then who is..?" Starscream looked at Jenna. She deactivated her helmet and glared at the Decepticon with hate._

 _"Forgot me?" Jenna asked coldly. "You killed me, remember?" Starscream screamed and backed away. Then, he slowly recomposed himself._

 _"W-were you trying to enter this ship? To call for help, perhaps?" Starscream made the mistake of raising the platform, then rectified it by trying to squash them. Then, suddenly, Miko leapt onto a collapsed device sitting on a rock. Armor slowly encased her body, and Starscream looked terrified._

 _"What the matter, 'Screamy?" Miko asked coyly. "Can't pick on someone your own size?" Then, something fell from the sky - an ancient optic._

 _"What do you know?" Starscream asked, surprised. "... It does fetch." The dragon landed on top of the ship, and it glared at Miko._

 _"Scrap." The Japanese girl winced, looking afraid. Miko tried to run, but the dragon landed on her._

 _"MIKO!" Jenna shouted, reaching out. Sari held her back._

 _"You'll get torn to shreds! You may be techno-organic, but you're not immortal, Jenna." She scolded, and Jenna blinked before looking back at her. "... I think that's the Apex Armor! If it is, Miko's in no danger - though, she's gonna be pissed off."_

 _"Go ahead!" Starscream laughed as the dragon continued its attack. "Make a wreck out of her, as you no doubt did the Wreckers!"_

 _"THAT'S IT!" Jenna snapped, activating her helmet. "Time to kick some serious metal ass!" Sari grabbed her arm and held tight._

 _"You see Energon on that thing? They're fine." She assured, and Jenna slowly bowed her head, baring gritted teeth and closing her optics. "Miko will be fine. You need to remain calm, or you'll lose control of your upgrades like I did." Miko's armored form was engulfed in flames, but then the beast grabbed the fossil and flew off. Starscream inspected the armor..._

 _"Even the strongest armor can't protect the weakest of creatures." Starscream sighed, and Jenna's optics widened. Suddenly, Miko shot up, grabbing him._

 _"Protected you, didn't it?" She asked coldly, then Miko got up and threw him away. Jenna looked at Sari pleadingly._

 _"Now?"_

 _"... Now." Sari agreed, and the two techno-organic flew into the air and instantly took out a Vehicon, Miko taking on Starscream and the other one single-handedly... And winning. The Wreckers arrived and watched in shock, and Sari clapped as she briefly paused her fight._

 _"You do know that I vanquished Cliffjumper..." Starscream readied his claws, smirking at the girl. "Don't you?"_

 _"Big whoop." Miko glared back at him. "I snuffed Harshell." That made Starscream really afraid, and after Sari ripped the other Vehicon's helm off, the Decepticon SIC fled._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn raised her optic-brow, frowning.

"Hm. I know I hate the guy, but he's so pathetic that it's kinda sad." She noted, crossing her arms. "It's a wonder that he's lasted this long."

 ** _..._**

 _Jenna stood in a dark cavern, looking around. She was afraid..._

 _"Oh, 'Jackie!" The girl sighed in relief, running up to her partner as he faced away, strangely silent. "What is this place? How did we get here?" There was reply, and Jenna blinked. "Wheeljack?" A guitar note played, and Wheeljack drew his swords. Jenna backed away, growing more afraid as Wheeljack remained silent and perfectly still. "'Jackie, what's happening? I don't understand!"_

 _"... The techno-organic must be destroyed." Wheeljack stated blandly, turning to her with glowing red optics. Jenna screamed and backed away, barely dodging a blade as it slammed into the ground. Megatron's laughter filled the room as Wheeljack attacked once more._

 _Sari fought Bumblebee, who also had glowing-red optics, and she was losing. The other Autobots, with glowing red eyes, stood by and watched. Wheeljack continued to try and kill Jenna, and she dodged again._

 _"Wheeljack, stop!" She begged as she was knocked to the ground, and she scrambled back away. She barely dodged again, but the blade still managed to slice her face. The girl stood up, tears coming to her optics. "Wheeljack!" Despite her dodging, a katana slashed hed left arm. Jenna yelped, then her optics widened as both blades swung down at her at once. "'JACKIE!"_

 _... Jenna slowly looked up, her eyes wide as she realized that her blades had activated and caught his. They were held just over her spark. Jenna looked up at Wheeljack as he glared at her, his expression filled with hate._

 _"The techno-organic must be destroyed!"_

 _"'Jackie, it's me." Jenna tried again, tears still falling from her optics. "It's Jenna." The blades slid closer to my her. "You've got to fight it, 'Jackie! If you don't, I'm gonna die. Everyone will die." She looked back to see Sari unsheath her blades, loozing conflicted as she faced Bumblebee. She looked back at Wheeljack, her arms starting to shake as they started to fail. She wasn't strong enough to keep this up. "Come on, partner! You have to wake up!" Jenna was knocked to the ground, and she looked up._

 _"The techno-organic must be destroyed!" Wheeljack snarled, swinging his blade down, and Jenna looked into his optics, absolutely terrified. Then, she closed her optics nd bowed her head, bracing for death._

 _"Bye, 'Jackie." She whispered, grimacing... And the blade stopped an inch from her face. Jenna looked up, her eyes wide._

 _"... Giving up?" Megatron asked, and Bumblebee paused in the background, giving Sari time to think. "I never thought I'd see the day... I finally broke Jenna Darby."_

 _"Nope." Jenna disagreed, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "Cracked, but not broken." She stood, her fists clenched at her sides and her optics narrowing. "Why do you think you could never take control of techno-organics when you could take control of humans and 'Bots? It's our spirits." She placed a hand over her spark, then she placed a hand over the left side of her chest - symbolizing the human heart. "That's the one things you can't break."_

 _"My ultimate victory is then unachieved." Megatron told her, and Jenna blinked. "I want you broken. Torture, capture, and taking control of Team Prime hasn't worked. So, what will?"_

 _"... Nothing." Jenna replied, shrugging. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I can't be broken, so in the end... I still win." The girl was suddenly thrown across the room by a kick from Megatron, and she hit a wall and fell to the ground. She looked up weakly, the fell down again._

 _"I would have to disagree... It appears that you are all out of tricks, artist." Megatron stated as he walked across the room. "Just so you're aware as you join the Well of Allsparks, the sparks of your precious Team Prime will be joining you... Definitely broken. I wonder what Wheeljack's reaction to your demise will be before I carve out his spark."_

 _"Don't you..." Jenna looked up, glaring venomously. "Don't you dare hurt my partner!" Megatron kicked her again, and she yelped softly before going completely limp, her optics closing as her breathing became labored._

 _"... Beg for help, for your pitiful life."_

 _"Never..." Jenna weakly refused, opening her optics slightly. "I'm a Wrecker... We don't call for backup..." She looked at Wheeljack, giving a weak grin. "But there's always that one-in-a-trillion chance." Megatron raised his blade, and she closed her optics again as he brought it down... One blade was countered by two,_

 _"Get away from my partner, 'Con." Wheeljack scowled, standing over the injured girl and holding Megatron's blade at bay with his katanas, his blue optics narrowed. Jenna opened her eyes and looked up weakly as Megatron's expression filled with surprise._

 _"Impossible!"_

 _"Nope..." Jenna shakily pushed herself up so that she was kneeling, and she gave a weak grin. "Just highly unlikely." Next to break free was Bumblebee, who scooped Sari up and aimed his blasters at Megatron while she cheered. Optimus broke free, then Arcee and Smokescreen, then the Predabots. Ratchet, Bulkhead, Elita-1, and Ultra Magnus broke free, followed by the humans. A chain reaction... Jenna raised a blaster and fired at Soundwave, shattering his guitar. "I-I win."_

 _"YOU WILL DIE!" Megatron tried to attack, but eleven Autobots got between Jenna and him. Jenna watched this with wide eyes and a wide grin on her face._

 _"Megatron..." Optimus glared at his rival. "If you value your spark, leave." Megatron growled, looking down at the girl._

 _"You will die, I swear it. You will die."_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn stared at the screen, absolutely stunned. Then, she gave a small smile, shaking her helm.

"Softy." She repeated again. "Wheeljack, _Mr. Cool_ , always looking out for that girl - for me." She looked up at the screen. "And it appears that he made a softy out of me, too." Her spark felt warm, and she felt happy. "I wish I could remember him. I really, really do..."

 ** _..._**

 _The Autobots and techno-organics stood in a ruined Kaon._

 _"We have endured bitter hardship and countless battles, but at long last, our home planet has been restored." Optimus began, loozing around at all of them. "We would not be standing on Cybertronian soil were it not for the valiant efforts of both those assembled here and our absent comrades: Ratchet, who remains on Earth to safeguard our human friends, and Cliffjumper, who made the ultimate sacrifice... On this day, at the dawn of a new era, we gather to bestow a special honor. One earned by Bumblebee, through his bravery and devotion to the cause of peace, even before he rid this universe of the scourge of the Decepticon warmonger." Sari clapped and cheered._

 _"You're our boy, 'Bee!" The techno-organic called excitedly. Jenna laughed from Wheeljack's rotator cup._

 _"That reference?"_

 _"What can I say?" Sari smirked, shrugging. "I'm Old School." Jenna rolled her optics, shaking her head._

 _"Just promote our boy already." She sighed, grinning. Optimus smiled at their antics, and Bumblebee kneeled._

 _"In the company of your fellow Autobots, in the presence of our creator, Primus, who is the living core of our planet, and in the authority invested in me by the Matrix of Leadership..." Optimus held the Star Saber up in the air before tapping it on each of the young scout's rotator cups. "Bumblebee, arise a warrior." Bumblebee stood up, and the others congratulated him. Sari seemed the most proud._

 _"Good job, 'Bee!"_

 _"Arctic, Goldstrike, Elita-1, Knockout, Sari Sumdac, and Jenna Darby..." Optimus continued to their surprise. "Step forward." All of them obeyed. Optimus looked at the two animalistic-looking femmes. "The both of you have proven yourselves worthy Autobots, and worthy friends. I would like to formally welcome you to Team Prime."_

 _"Thank you, sir." Arctic beamed, Boeing her helm wnd closing her optics. Goldstrike smiled, placing a servo on her hip and giving a small nod._

 _"Elita-1." Optimus looked at the spiderish femme. "For a long time, you were lost in shadow... And it was my fault. But now, I see not BlackArachnia standing before me, but Elita-1. I formally restore your Autobot status and your rank, and welcome you home."_

 _"Thank you, Optimus." Elita-1 grinned, giving a small nod of thanks. Optimus smiled, then frowned as he turned to the red-opticed mech._

 _"Knockout..."_

 _"Not the faceplate, eh?" Knockout braced himself, his optics closing. "I want to look somewhat-okay when I join the Well of Allsparks... Not that I deserve it." Optimus rolled his optics slightly._

 _"Knockout, I am not going to offline you." The Prime sighed, and Knockout opened his optics, stunned. "I believe that every sentient being has the capacity for change, and that includes Decepticons. I am placing trust in you... Do not make me regret this choice."_

 _"I won't... Sir." Knockout did an Autobot salute, appearing humbled. Optimus gave a small smile at that._

 _"Sari." He looked at the first techno-organic. "When we first arrived on Earth, there were many things we did not understand. You went out of your way to help us, and you have sacrificed much in this war... Thank you, and I would like to formally welcome you to the Autobot ranks."_

 _"Thanks, big guy." Sari teased, then she became excited. "Does this mean I can say the thing?"_

 _"... No."_

 _"Aw..."_

 _"Jenna." He looked at the second techno-organic, frowning. "You intervened in a battle and tasered a Decepticon for Bumblebee, you came to a battle against the undead unauthorized, you placed yourself at risk multiple times during the fake Wheeljack's infiltration, you nearly got yourself killed during a Decepticon kidnapping attempt, you went to outer space while fully aware of the danger, you engaged in several battles against Dreadwing and Wheeljack's act of revenge for Bulkhead, you were nearly killed during Starscream's interrogation at Darkmount, you faced Megatron and a brainwashed Wheeljack alone, and..." Jenna cringed lightly, and Optimus smiled. "You saved us all."_

 _"Huh?" Jenna looked up, surprised. "What are you talking about? You'd have been fine, and I was just doing what anyone would have done."_

 _"I'd like to argue." Knockout spoke up. "To put it bluntly... You were terrifying, kid. Still are. Megatron himself was taken aback when we realized just how many times you escaped death... You were the one organic that Megatron ever feared, and a real Autobot."_

 _"Whoa." Arcee looked at Knockout, surprised. "Bucket-Head was scared of Jenna?"_

 _"Pit, I'm scared of her!"_

 _"Continuing..." Optimus interrupted, and they all looked down at the artist. "Jenna, I would like to also welcome you to the Autobot ranks."_

 _"Thanks, Optimus." Jenna smiled, then she gave a light smirk. "I'd say I'll be less reckless from now on, but... That's a promise I can't keep."_

 _"Let's get this party started." Wheeljack held up a trigger, Jenna smiling deviously, and they all watched as the statue of Megatron exploded in bright colors before crumbling to pieces._

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn gave a small fist pump, laughing at the screen.

"Yeah, alright!" She cheered, then she looked up, beaming. "I guess I really was an Autobot, after all."

 ** _..._**

 _Optimus and Wheeljack sat inside of a small ship._

 _"... Prime, 'Jackie?" THey looked back to see Jenna staring at a strange container, and it glowed brighter as she approached. "I can hear them... The old and the new... All shouting..."_

 _"Jenna?" Wheeljack asked, concerned. Jenna slowly reached her hand out, like she was in a trance, then she gasped as contact made her eyes glow white, the girl quickly backing away from the Allspark. Optimus frowned, his optics narrowing slightly._

 _"I would suggest that you stay away from the Allspark." He told her sternly. Jenna stared at the container with wide eyes, and Wheeljack frowned._

 _"You okay?" He asked, and Jenna blinked before looking up at him. The girl blinked again, then shook her head.  
_

 _"Yeah... Just tired, that's all."_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn's smile fell, and she frowned at the screen. Slowly, she raised a servo to her spark. What was this fear that she was feeling as she gazed at that container, the Allspark?

"Huh..."

 ** _..._**

 _Optimus went off on his own and opened the container as a battle raged, closing his optics, but the light that rose from the container didn't go to him. Jenna watched as the mass of multicolored light settled in front of her with a forlornness in her expression, then she turned and looked over with a frown as an injured Wheeljack was removed from a crashed ship._

 _"... I'm sorry, 'Jackie." She announced quietly, then she turned to the light. "I'm ready... Just do it." Jenna absorbed the light into her body, and her armor turned white. She opened her optics, looking energized, then she looked back as a mass of zombified Predacons flew towards a giant pit. "... I know what I have to do."_

 _The girl spread a massive pair of dragon-wings and took off, soaring towards the monsters as powerful energy surrounded her. She arrived, and from her hands, a massive white blast eradicated the undeas monsters._

takes allspark

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn's optics were wide as she gazed at the screen in disbelief.

"... No..." She stared, raising a servo to her spark again. The fear had returned... "No, no, no! What am I doing?!"

 ** _..._**

 _Jenna stepped forward, her armor glowing white, and she looked up at Optimus with a weak grin._

 _"You don't have it, Optimus... I do." She confessed quietly. Everyone stared at the techno-organic._

 _... "What?" Wheeljack asked, his optics wide with horror. The blue stripes in Jenna's slowly hair turned white, the brown hair turning to a brighter hue. Her whole form was glowing with power. Jenna gave a sad smile, looking at all of them._

 _" **The child of Primus and Unicron**_

 ** _Will come to Cybertron's new dawn,_**

 ** _And see the old world return to dark_**

 _ **Before lighting it up at the cost of her spark.** " The girl recited quietly. "Primus and Unicron, Cybertron and Earth. New dawn, the planet's back. Dark, the whole undead thing. And..." Jenna frowned, then cried out as her brown hair started turning white, the blue of her optics now silver._

 _"Kid?!" Bulkhead asked, stepping forward. Jenna raised a hand in warning._

 _"Stay back! It's okay... I'm dying." Jenna admitted, then she gave a half-hearted laugh, shaking like she was sobbing. "Wow... I actually said it."_

 _"What's going on?" Arcee asked, her optics narrowing. The artist looked at the pit behind her._

 _"Around a month ago, Primus sent me a dream. In it, he told me of my destiny. My future. I've known how this would end for some time, now... I just couldn't let anyone stop me."_

 _"Stop you?" Ultra Magnus asked, frowning. Jenna stepped backwards, towards the abyss._

 _"I'm holding the Allspark inside me... The only way to give it to your planet is to jump."_

 _"What?" Sari asked, her optics widening as she panicked. "JENNA, ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT'S SUICIDE! YOU WILL DIE!"_

 _"I know-"_

 _"Then, why are you doing this?!" Ratchet asked, finally snapping. Jenna wouldn't look at him._

 _"... Jenna's doing what she always does, what she's always done." Bumblebee looked at Optimus. "Protecting her friends. You were just about to do the same thing, Optimus... What would any of us have done?" Jenna cried out again, her hair turning completely white, her skin paling to an almost-white._

 _"Jenna, end this madness." Optimus glared at the girl. "Give me the Allspark, let me save your life!" The girl looked up at him._

 _"Optimus... I'm already dead." She told him quietly, and his optics widened. "I've been since I fired that blast... What's done is done, and I'm out of time. If I don't go, then the Allspark will die with me. I'm jumping."_

 _"Kid..." Wheeljack was frozen. Jenna gave him another smile, then she threw a blue bag to Sari._

 _"There's instructions for building my bombs. Keep up my work, or I'll haunt you... I've got a buddy who can make that happen, and he owes me big time. I had a lot of stuff I wanted to do... Jenna took a deep but weak breath, closing her optics, then she opened them and gave a tired grin. "But this was better. Who needs college when you can learn how to be a Wrecker? Who needs to grow up when you can be a half-robot warrior? Who needs to do all that cliché settle-down-and-raise-a-family shit when you go on the adventure I had? These two years were rough... But they were the best years of my life. I wouldn't have it any other way." The girl looked at Wheeljack, smiling. "Thanks for the ride, partner. Try not to die when I'm not around to save your ass."_

 _"Jenna?" Wheeljack asked as she took another step back. Jenna gave a small laugh, then closed her silver eyes and held her arms out, spread like her wings._

 _"... Bye, 'Jackie." She stepped back, and then... Jenna Darby fell back into the pit._

 _"NO!" Wheeljack ran forward, only to be forced to back away as thousands of lights exploded from the pit. The Autobots all stared at the lights, both shocked and awed._

 _"... She did it, then?" Smokescreen asked quietly. Optimus looked down, then drove the Star Saber into the ground._

 _"Here was laid to rest the last Autobot to die in this war... Until all are one, Jenna Darby."_

 ** _..._**

Icy Dawn raised a servo to her mouth, her optics wide and filling with tears. All was silent in the _Harbinger_ as she gazed at the screen... Then, another clip began to play. One labeled _To Wheeljack_ , which had been downloaded to the Decepticon database through the _Nemesis_... From the _Jackhammer_.

 ** _..._**

 _Jenna Darby stood, smiling, in a ship._

 _"Hey, 'Jackie." She greeted quietly. "If you're seeing this message, I'm probably dead... Wow, that's depressing. I hope I had a good death." The girl let out a small laugh. "In case you're wondering, I'm recording this while you're in recharge. It's been about four months since we've returned from space, and let me tell you this: this has been the best ten months of my life... Anyway, I'm recording this in case something happens to me and I haven't told you everything about me. I know you're probably thinking that you know everything, but... I seriously doubt that, and I'm sorry." She briefly looked down, then looked up. "So... 'Jackie, while I was alive, I never wanted to burden you with the sob story of poor orphan Jenna Darby. I never want to burden you with anything, really. I just keep all the baggage locked up... But, I feel like you should know if anything goes wrong. You'll make it, you always do... But, I'm just me." She sighed, shaking her head. "So... I've gone through a lot, okay? I was never really good with or accepted by people. I'm kind of an outcast... When I met the Autobots, that was the first kind of positive non-familial social interaction that I'd ever had. But, they were still pitying me when they found out more about me... Not you. You just accepted and took me in right away, offered to let a complete stranger travel with you. You didn't grill me for info, you let me open up to you naturally... Thanks." Jenna smiled weakly. "You're the best friend I've ever had, partner. And don't you dare tease me for saying that. I will haunt you." She took a deep breath. "So... I'm glad I got that off my chest. I better go before you wake up, but before you do, one final confession: I'm actually a pretty decent singer." Jenna pulled a guitar out and started strumming, smiling sadly._

 ** _He walks to school_**

 ** _Nobody notices,_**

 ** _He hides the bruises_**

 ** _underneath his clothes..._**

 ** _His mom don't ask,_**

 ** _and he won't tell._**

 ** _All his friends,_**

 ** _Nobody knows that he's breaking?_**

 ** _Nobody knows where he's been?_**

 ** _Everybody says that he's broken,_**

 ** _But I think he's just bent._**

 _ **Dare To Be Different...** " Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked down. "_

 ** _She walks to class_**

 ** _With her hoodie on,_**

 ** _Behind the mask,_**

 ** _She's worn so long._**

 ** _The teacher don't hear_**

 ** _All the rumors spread,_**

 ** _Or the notebook sayin'_**

 _ **How** I wish I was dead **...** " She took a deep breath, then looked up. "_

 ** _Who will care that she's breaking?_**

 ** _Who will care where she's been?_**

 ** _Everybody says that she's broken,_**

 ** _But I think she's just bent..._**

 ** _Dare To Be Different._**

 ** _Who wrote the book on what is right?_**

 ** _What makes me so wrong?_**

 ** _I know my time here will be well spent,_**

 ** _'Cause I dare..._**

 ** _Yeah, I dare..._**

 _ **I Dare To Be Different...** " Jenna bowed her head and sighed, shaking her head slightly. "_

 ** _Just another day,_**

 ** _With the damage done._**

 ** _You never know how your words can cut someone._**

 ** _Look into their eyes,_**

 ** _And maybe you will see,_**

 ** _How everyone is how they're meant to be!_**

 ** _It's time for us to care that they're breaking!_**

 ** _Time for us to care where they've been!_**

 ** _You might say that we're broken,_**

 ** _But I think we're all a little bent..._**

 ** _Dare To Be Different!_**

 _ **Dare To Be Different!** " Jenna looked up and smiled, briefly closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side. Tears raced down her face, but she seemed truly happy and at peace. "See you on the other side, Wheeljack-ass."_

 ** _..._**

The image frozen, and all was silent. Then, all was silent as a servo slowly raised and rested on the image of the human girl's face, a pair of tear-filled blue optics gazing at her small, sad smile.

* * *

Jack, June, Arcee, and Wheeljack ran into the _Harbinger_ just as a screen turned off. Icy Dawn stared at it, absoluetely stunned, then she clenched her fists and dentas.

"I wasn't in an _accident_." Icy Dawn looked back at them, tears in her optics. "I DIED! I jumped into a hole in the ground, and I died! I fraggin' died!" The femme turned back to the screen, gazing at it in disbelief. "I died. I sacrificed myself for Cybertron... It was my destiny, and I didn't try to change it."

"... Jenna." June walked forward, and Icy Dawn blinked before looking down at her. "What do you remember, sweetheart?" Icy Dawn slowly got down on one knee to look at June properly.

"Not much... There's a difference between seeing it and living it, and I only saw what the Decepticons saw." Icy Dawn frowned slightly, looking down. "They sure saw a lot. And they did terrible things... And so did I." She rubbed one arm with the opposite servo, seeming ashamed. "I was so reckless. What I saw... I didn't take anyone else's feelings into account, and I was in over my head."

"Damn straight." Wheeljack scoffed, and she looked over at him. Icy Dawn blinked, then slowly stood and walked over to him, frowning.

"... I'm not gonna call you _Stubby_ , anymore." She told him quietly, and he blinked. "You don't deserve a nickname that bad." The femme turned away, starting to walk out of the ship. "Let's head back to base... I'm tired." With that, Icy Dawn transformed and drove off, the others following her lead.

* * *

 ** _So... That's one way to do a series-recap without making it too boring._**

 ** _I updated the choreography a little bit, but yeah: those were various scenes from "The Artist" that Icy Dawn was reacting to. God, I love that story..._**

 ** _Anyway, Icy Dawn knows the truth about her "accident" now, and she has the basic knowledge of her past with the Autobots. All the same, she doesn't remember anything big, and she didn't get to see her life before the Autobots or all of the things she did when the Decepticons weren't loooking._**

 ** _Icy Dawn's got a long journey ahead before she can be Jenna, again._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	5. Cursing, Counting, and Coping

It had been a month since Icy Dawn's arrival, and every day was like living in the Pit for Wheeljack.

The young femme was timid, not Jenna-wild. And there was an emptiness there, like she liked the same things Jenna did but the reasons why she felt the way she did were lost.

She didn't know she loved throwing paint-bombs at things (especially him) because that's how she expressed herself in her life and in her fighting (and how she messed with him).

She didn't know that she knew how to take down Bulkhead in sparring because she was a Wrecker, and she trained with all of the constantly (winning some brawls even when she was small).

She didn't know the sad look in her optics that she couldn't make leave was the result of so much hardship, suffering, and sacrifice.

She had seen her life, but it still wasn't hers.

All Wheeljack could think of was "when?". When would his partner come back to him? When would they be telling old jokes and going on adventures? When would he hear his old nicknames and call her by hers? When would that old spark return to her eyes, that old spirit? When would he get Jenna Darby back?

"Okay, so I've been thinking." Icy Dawn spoke to Wheeljack as they walked down a hallway at HQ. "In the videos, I was shown with a lot of mods as a techno-organic. I've already figured out most of them in this mode: the wings, the paint-bombs, the blasters, the rocket-skates. But I can't seem to figure out those weird energy-blades."

" _Light-weapons_." Wheeljack corrected with a roll of his optics. "Jenna called them _light-weapons_." Icy Dawn raised an optic-brow, confused. She didn't seem to care about the fact that Wheeljack had referred to _Jenna_ as a separate entity.

"Why? They're blades of laser-induced plasma. Light-weapons makes them sound like I'll be waving a pair of flashlights around like a glitch-head."

"Jenna watched this movie series, _Star Wars_ , and that's where she got the name from. She didn't want to be a total ripoff and call them _light-sabers_ , so she just called them _light-weapons_."

" _Star Wars_?" Icy Dawn asked, her optics narrowing. "Huh... I think that I used to think of Optimus like a WAY more serious Obi-Wan Kenobi. Megatron was a TOTAL Darth Vader, except with **no** redeemable qualities. Unicron was a less-laughy Sidious, Primus was a more-manipulative Yoda. Bumblebee was a mute Luke Skywalker, Arcee was a definite Leia. Bulkhead could have been an English-speaking Chewbacca, and I think I pegged you as Han Solo." Icy Dawn tensed up, an optic twitching slightly, then she deadpanned heavily. "Great. I got some memory back, but you're not gonna like what part."

"What?"

"Fandoms. Lots and lots of fandoms... I was a Whovian, wasn't I?"

"For frag's sake-!" Wheeljack face-palmed, extremely annoyed. She was remembering all unimportant stuff, like nicknames, fandoms, and the location of the _Harbinger_. Where was her personality? Her memories of her family, her friends? Him?

"Wheeljack?" Icy Dawn's quiet voice shook him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at her with a glare. She blinked, then she looked down, seeming... Guilty. "... I know you hate me. You have every right to. What I did, keeping that secret and making you watch when I-... It was wrong. And even though I can't _remember_ what I did or why, and I know that you can't forgive me this time... I want you to know that I'm sorry. And that, who I was-" She looked up at him forlornly. "I never wanted to hurt you. That much is easy to remember."

"... Shut up." Wheeljack scoffed, and he turned away. "Spare me your apologies and shut up. Stop pretending that you understand any of this - you don't."

"I understand that you're hurting, and that I'm the one to blame."

"Yes, you are!" Wheeljack snapped, turning back to her, and she took a step back. "You waltzed into my life like you owned it, made me care about you, and then didn't give a frag about it! You constantly placed yourself in danger, constantly made me think you had died - only to come back and act like everything was fine! Like I should have been fine, but guess what?! I wasn't!" Icy Dawn slowly extended a servo, frowning.

"Wheeljack-"

"SHUT UP!" Wheeljack snarled at her, and she recoiled. "I don't want to hear your voice, anymore!" Icy Dawn blinked, then she slowly looked down, hugging herself as she gave a small nod. Wheeljack saw a drop of Energon hit the floor and blinked, his anger beginning to fade away. "... Kid?" Icy Dawn looked up, her optics brimming with tears, and Wheeljack's optics widened. He reached out, and she stepped back. "Kid, I... I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." She turned away, looking down. She kept her voice quiet, like she was using whispers to mask how it sounded. "I... I'm going to go and try to figure out those light-weapons. I'll see you later, I guess." Icy Dawn left quickly, leaving Wheeljack alone.

"... Wow." A voice commented, and Wheeljack looked back to see Arcee frowning at him, her arms crossed. "That was... Intense."

"What do you want?" Wheeljack asked, his optics narrowing. Arcee slowly walked towards him, glaring.

"Yor partner came back to you." She announced coldly, and he blinked. "So, stop walking around and feeling sorry for yourself and help her... If roles were reversed, you know she would never stop trying. Not for one second." Arcee turned and walked away, leaving Wheeljack alone.

* * *

 _ **/\**_

* * *

Icy Dawn stood in the courtyard in the back of the Team Prime HQ, looking up at the sky with her arms crossed. She was watching in wonder as ships and flying 'Bots passed overhead, and gazing fondly at the stars above. Slowly, she managed a small smile and let her servos fall to her sides, nodding.

"Okay... Add that to the list." She noted quietly. "I love space. Stars, galaxies, planets - adventures in far-away places with-" She blinked, then she looked back at the building that she was now calling home. Her expression fell, and she sighed, closing her optics and shaking her helm. "What am I going to do?"

"Raise your servos into the air." A voice replied, and Icy Dawn looked back with wide optics as a red missile was aimed for her spark-chamber. Slowly, she obeyed, and a short chuckle rang out. "Good femme. Now... Tell me exactly what defenses the Autobots have placed aboard the _Nemesis_." Icy Dawn was completely frozen, her optics wide, then her optics slowly narrowed as she bared gritted dentas in a scowl, her raised servos clenching into fists.

"Starscream."

* * *

Wheeljack sat alone at a table in a large room in the headquarters - a room reserved for the Wreckers. There was an Energon-cube of a slightly-darker color in his hand, and he sighed and closed his optics as he heard booming footsteps.

"What?"

"'Jackie." Bulkhead frowned, shaking his helm. "I know this is hard on you-"

"No, you don't." Wheeljack looked back at Bulkhead, glaring. "You don't know anything about this."

"Optimus lost his memories-"

"But he was also taken by Megatron, and that was only for what? Two weeks?" Wheeljack asked, and Bulkhead blinked but did not reply. "You didn't have to deal with anything like this."

"... You're not exactly 'dealing' with anything right now, Wheeljack." Bulkhead finally said, and Wheeljack scoffed, looking back at his Energon-cube. "Is drowning yourself in high-grade really going to help anything? You can't just run off and drink the pain away whenever you want to, 'Jackie. Primus said it himself - she needs-"

"Oh, and I'm just suddenly expected to listen to Primus after all the scrap he pulled?" Wheeljack mocked, and Bulkhead sighed as he walked over and sat down across from Wheeljack. A long moment passed, then...

"What would she say?" Bulkhead asked, looking up at his friend. "If she - Jenna, with all of her memories - could see you now, what would she say?" Wheeljack blinked, then he looked down again.

On the table, he could almost picture the girl - before she got her upgrades, before she wore her armor. It was that spunky little girl with the wild brown hair and brown eyes, wearing her green hoodie and holding a paint-bomb in her hand. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked up at him, annoyed.

" _You always told me that Wreckers don't have time for weakness._ " She said accusingly, throwing the bomb up and catching it in her hand again. " _Now, what are you supposed to do?_ " Wheeljack blinked, then sighed and closed his optics. When he opened them again, she was gone. He gazed at that empty spot for a long moment, silently thinking. Remembering, really.

Remembering her sarcasm and wit, and her arrogance with them. Remembering her pride, her feistiness, and her stubbornness. Remembering her sadness, her loneliness, and the smiles he could never quite be certain were genuine. Her bravery, and the fear in her optics whenever she thought he was going to leave or she was going to let him down. She was always too worried about what he'd think...

Now, it was his turn to not let her down.

"... One." Wheeljack spoke, and Bulkhead blinked. "Two... Three..." He pushed the cube away. "Four..." He gave a small smile, then stood up. "Five..." Bulkhead slowly grinned, then he chuckled.

"There's my 'Jackie. Now-" An alarm suddenly went off, and red lights flashed as a siren blared. The two Wreckers looked up, surprised, as a voice spoke on the comms.

 _ **:**_ _Icy Dawn, requesting back-up! Starscream is in the courtyard, he's come for the_ _ **Nemesis**_ _! I repeat, Starscream is here and hostile! Requesting back-up!_ _ **:**_

 _ **:**_ _Why, you little-!_ _ **:**_ An explosion rang out, followed by a scream. Wheeljack's optics widened, then he turned and ran down the hallway. Bulkhead was right behind him.

* * *

Icy Dawn yelped as she was thrown back by the explosion. She looked up from the ground, her optics wide, as Starscream scowled down at her, lowering his arm and walking towards her.

"That, femme, will be your last mistake." He announced coldly. Icy Dawn blinked, then her optics narrowed.

"You don't scare me, 'Screamer." She announced coldly, and the mech blinked. Before his optics, another form flashed. The color-scheme, the sphere at her side...

"Impossible." Starscream's optics widened in disbelief. Then, he growled and raised his missiles. "The artist! How could a techno-organic abomination such as yourself be allotted so many chances at life, let alone a Cybertronian shell?!" Icy Dawn gasped and barely dodged another missile, rolling aside before being knocked into a wall by the explosion. She hit the ground and winced, then she pushed herself up onto her servos and knees, and her optics widened as a missile was aimed for her face-plate. "Any last words, Jenna Smith?"

"... Smith?" Icy Dawn asked, confused. Starscream blinked, then his eyes narrowed slightly. Then, a small smirk crossed his face.

"So, the rumors are true." The former SIC of the Decepticons chuckled, walking towards the femme. "The so-called 'Team Prime' is in the process of helping a long-lost comrade _recuperate_ after a 'tragic incident'. How interesting..."

* * *

Wheeljack ran out into the courtyard, and he looked around with narrowed optics as he drew his swords.

"Kid?!"

"W-Wheeljack!" A voice cried, and Wheeljack looked back to see Starscream standing there, holding a battered Icy Dawn in a headlock with his left arm. His right missile was aimed towards her face, and she grabbed his arm, trying to break free as the ex-Seeker chuckled. Wheeljack's optics widened, then he growled lowly, readying his blades.

"Stand down, Wrecker." Starscream smirked, and Wheeljack's optics narrowed. "Unless you would like me to put a permanent end to your partner." Wheeljack didn't move, and Starscream moved his right missile to the side of her helm. Icy Dawn's optic's widened, and her whole body tensed. "Don't squirm now, femme. I might accidentally pull the trigger and destroy that pretty _new_ faceplate of yours."

"'Con scum!" Wheeljack snapped, livid, and Icy Dawn blinked. "Let her go, and face me like a mech!" Starscream only chuckled.

"I'm waiting." He said, and Wheeljack growled lowly. "And you know how impatient I get, especially with you two." Wheeljack blinked, then he sighed and sheathed his swords. Starscream nodded in response, then looked over at Icy Dawn. "The wonders truly never cease with you, you know? I believe that, as the humans say, you possess _a cat's nine lives_."

"... D-damn straight." Icy Dawn managed, and Starscream rolled his optics before shoving her forward. She fell to the ground, and Wheeljack quickly activated his blaster-cannons as Starscream aimed a missile for her helm. The femme looked up, her optics wide, as Starscream looked down at her.

"Hmm." His optics narrowed. "It would be most unsatisfying to put an end to you while you are in such a state. When I kill that meddlesome little 'artist' once and for all, I want to know that she remembers me. That she remembers exactly why I want to crush her like the bug she is. That the fear in her optics is the fear of my enemy." Her optics widened as he smirked. "Until the next time, femme... _Icy Dawn_ , right?" With that, the Decepticon transformed and flew off. Wheeljack fired after him three times, but he was long gone.

Icy Dawn stared after the Decepticon from her spot on the ground, then she winced and placed a hand over her abdomen, closing her optics. Wheeljack looked back, and he saw her grimace of pain, he blinked, then he disengaged his weapons and got down on one knee, looking at her with concern.

"Kid?" He asked, and she looked up at him. "He didn't get you, did he?" Icy Dawn blinked, then looked up at him before looking down again.

"No. I think I'm just... Remembering." She admitted, and he blinked. "Starscream... Fraggin' asshole." The Wrecker blinked, then chuckled and held a servo out.

"Sounds about right." He told her, and she reached out before hesitating. "... Come on, kid. It still ain't safe for you, out here. Prime needs to have the Predacons and Predabots go and blow 'Screamer out of the sky." Slowly, Icy Dawn reached out and placed her servo in his, and he stood and pulled her to her peds.

"... Wheeljack, I-"

"Kid-"

"Um..." Icy Dawn blinked, and Wheeljack blinked. "You go first."

"No, you-"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"... Together?" She offered, and he blinked. Then, he nodded. "Three... Two... One..."

"I'm sorry!" They both shouted, and they blinked. Icy Dawn looked at Wheeljack in surprise, and he seemed just as surprised.

"I... I'm sorry for running off." She told him, frowning. "And for getting into trouble. I... I bet that was hard on you, given the circumstances." She looked down. "And, even though I can't remember most of it, I know that what I did to you was wrong... And I really am sorry."

"... I'm sorry for forgetting." Wheeljack told her, and her surprise returned. "I'm telling you to be careful, shouting at you for what you did. Saying that you can't be - well - you."

"What?" Icy Dawn asked, Wheeljack looked down. Then, he looked back at her with a small smile.

"The girl I knew, Jenna Darby, she was a tough little thing." He shrugged, and she blinked. "She was reckless and arrogant. They were terrible qualities in an Autobot - even in a Wrecker, when they got out of hand." Icy Dawn hung her helm. "But..." The femme looked up. "She was also selfless, kind, and committed. She never backed down from a challenge, she was practically fearless, and she'd do anything to protect the ones she cared for." Wheeljack gave a weak smirk. "What she did, at the Well... It was the most Jenna-thing she could ever do. And, Pit, I hated her for it. I hated her for the qualities I loved most about her... The qualities I love most about you." He looked her in the optics as her expression filled with astonishment. "So... Me saying all of that stuff to you was wrong. 'You can't like what you like', 'you can't be what you are' - Pit, I told you to not even speak." His optics narrowed. "That ain't gonna get you any closer to being fixed, now is it?" Icy Dawn remained silent as she gazed at him. "Look... Kid, it hasn't been a picnic for me, all of this back and forth. You're alive and human, you're dead, you're alive and a techno-organic, you're dead, you're alive and a femme and you've lost-... I'm telling you, it's been almost as stressful as fighting a war."

"Do I really cause that much trouble?" Icy Dawn asked, frowning. Wheeljack gave a light grin.

"Well, kid... That's why we get along, so much." He admitted, and she blinked. "You're the only thing I've ever met that has the capacity to cause more trouble than I do." Icy Dawn slowly smiled, and he held his servo out. "... You can call me _'Jackie_. Or _Wheeljack-ass_ , if I do anything else to make you angry at me. I don't mind." Icy Dawn blinked again, then she grinned and took his servo in hers, shaking it.

"Alright... 'Jackie it is."

* * *

 _ ***draws a bowstring back, taking aim***_

 _ **Okay, okay... Now.**_

 _ ***fires, striking a target labeled "Readers' Feels"***_

 _ **Whoo-hoo! Yeah! Bullseye!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Seriously, seriously: wow! What a chapter!**_

 _ **We got Wheeljack finally snapping! We got Arcee talking to Wheeljack about partners in a very Arcee-esque way! We got Starscream, who now knows about our favorite femme with a lack of memory! We got Icy Dawn getting some minor memories back! We got Wheeljack starting to cope with all of this! We got Bulkhead being a good friend! We got Wheeljack remembering how to be a good friend!**_

 _ **This was, in my opinion, awesome. I mean, I know that it's not perfect - but hey, I'm human. An dits better than the old version.**_

 _ **Now, let's address something important: Icy Dawn not knowing how to fight. Now that Starscream knows she's alive, she probably going to have to re-learn how to fight. Muscle-memory is going to be important, but she's really going to have to practically start over from the beginning. Now, what does that mean?**_

 _ **Training montage, within the next few chapters! I'm contemplating th presence of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. XD**_

 _ **I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **P.S.: After I wrote that one like for Arcee, you would not believe how tempted I was to come up with a role-reversal scenario, an AU where Wheeljack somehow ended up as a techno-organic with no memories and techno-organic Jenna had to deal with that. My God, it was a mental-struggle - still is, really. Send help. XD**_


	6. A Life Left Behind

Icy Dawn wandered around the halls of Team Prime's headquarters, hugging herself as she looked around. She was alone, and she seemed restless and uncertain. Suddenly, as she turned a corner, she bumped into someone much taller than herself and stumbled back a bit before looking up and blinking in surprise.

"Oh, it's you! Elita-1, right?"

"Right." The strange-looking femme nodded, crossing her arms. "You don't look so good, kid."

"I... I guess I'm still trying to get used to everything." Icy Dawn admitted, rubbing the back of her helm nervously. Elita-1 looked around, optics narrowing.

"Where is Wheeljack?"

"Off with Bulkhead." Icy Dawn replied, frowning. "There was a disturbance in Kaon, so he told me to stay here while they handled it. I don't remember how to fight, so... I'm kinda useless until I'm _Jenna_ again."

"... Walk with me." Elita-1 suggested, frowning slightly. "I need to tell you something." Icy Dawn blinked, then slowly began to walk with her. "When I was young, a couple of friends and I ventured to a strange world in search of a long-lost treasure. But what we didn't know was that the planet had hostile inhabitants: giant spiders." Icy Dawn looked over at Elita-1 with wide optics. "In our efforts to escape, I was separated from the others, and they left thinking I was offline. In reality, I tried to use my power-borrowing on the spiders at the same time they injected me with their venom... And I became this." Elita gestured to herself. "A techno-organic."

"Whoa." Icy Dawn's optics widened. "Elita, I'm so sorry. I had no idea - well, I might have at one point. But... Amnesia."

"... Fearing that I would be placed on a lab-table and dissected, I joined the Decepticons when the Great War for Cybertron started. I went under the name Black-Arachnia, and I did many terrible things. Not as bad as the crimes of Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave, or even Arachnid, but terrible all the same. Then, when the war ended, I learned of a device on Earth that could possibly restore me to a full-Cybertronian: a key possessed by a human child, Sari Sumdac."

"Sari?"

 ** _..._**

 ** _"It's sort of an instant tech-repairer. The Matrix of Leadership gave it to me when I first met the 'Bots, and if they were ever hurt, I could repair them in a snap."_**

 ** _..._**

"Yes." Elita-1 nodded as Icy Dawn shook out of the fleeting memory. "I made my way to Earth, to Detroit, and I caused a lot of trouble while trying to get that key. It took forever for me to take the hint: I can't be cured. I can't survive without my organic-half... But I was trapped by transwarp energy, the same sort of energy used to power ground and space bridges. For the next few years, I would appear somewhere, stay there for all of five minutes, then transwarp someplace else. Finally, I came to rest in the middle of a desert... That's when you found me."

"I did?"

"Yes. You found me in stasis and had me brought back to Autobot Outpost Omega Two. It's only because of you that I have been forgiven and redeemed for my past mistakes." Elita-1 turned and looked at her. "You don't have to fight to be useful. You never had to before, and you don't now."

"... But Jenna, she was probably good at that kind of thing." Icy Dawn protested, frowning. "I'm... Not. Until I get my memories back, I'm not her. I'm just Icy Dawn... We might as well be two different beings."

"That so?" Elita-1 raised an optic-brow. "Hm... I have something to show you.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

An hour later, Elita-1 and Icy Dawn drove up to some sort of old warehouse outside of Jasper under the cover of the darkness of night and transformed. Icy Dawn's optics widened as she saw it.

"Whoa..." The building was covered in bright-teal paint, a different design covering each side. She couldn't help but recognize it as she ran a servo over the old art. " _Triumph of the Titans_." She walked around the barn. " _Pack at Midnight_... _Call to Arms_..." She arrived at the back of the warehouse, and her optics widened. A giant snowflake had been painted, and the art had been signed by someone... "Icy Dawn." Elita-1 nodded, walking over.

"After I arrived in Jasper, you showed me this place during the tour." She told the smaller femme gently. "And... After everyone thought you were dead, Unit E had to fake your death so no one would ask about you. They told everyone that you were on your way to auction off some of your artwork for charity for the military and that you died in a car-crash, that the car went off a cliffside in California, never to be found... Your friend, Miko, made a post on social-media telling the world that you were the mysterious artist, Icy Dawn, and you wouldn't believe how many people showed up to lay flowers by all of your works. Not just here, but all around the country. Everywhere you traveled and helped someone, leaving some art nearby, people got the word and visited your work to remember you. Some people just went to local works, and some people visited places around America and came to Jasper to see it all."

"Really?" Icy Dawn asked, kneeling to see a bunch of flowers, new and old, laying under the signature. "I... I don't really think that I had a lot of friends when I was human. Or... Techno-organic."

"You didn't." Elita-1 admitted, shrugging lightly. "That's probably the saddest thing of all... No one realized how much they cared about you until you were gone. Us, the Autobots, included."

"... Thank you." Icy Dawn whispered, smiling lightly as she stood. "I think that I needed to see this." Her optics widened as the larger femme pulled her into a hug.

"A good friend of mine once said... _It's what you do for a friend_." Elita-1 told her quietly, and Icy Dawn blinked. Then, she closed her optics and hugged back.

"They sound nice."

"Hmm. Yes... You really are."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

The next morning, since she was still on Earth, Ratchet asked Icy Dawn to give the kids rides to school. The femme put the four addresses into her GPS, and she went to get them.

Icy Dawn drove up in front of the first house and waited. A few minutes later, having gotten bored, she beeped her horn twice. Raf exited the house, his eyes widening as her ran over to the femme's vehicle-mode.

"Icy Dawn?!"

"Yep!" She mentally-smirked at his expression. "Come on, kid! I don't have all solar-cycle!" Raf quickly hopped into the back-seat, and she mentally-cringed. "Okay, that will definitely take some getting used to." The femme started driving to the next location.

"How are your memories?" Raf asked, looking concerned. Icy Dawn sighed, mentally shaking her helm.

"Sorry, kid. All I've remembered since last time is that I have a lot of fandoms... I'm sure that it's only a matter of time."

"Yeah." Raf nodded, putting up a smile. "Thanks, for the ride."

"Heh... No problem, kiddo."

* * *

Icy Dawn and Raf arrived at Miko's house, and she ran out within two minutes, her eyes wide.

"Hey!" She poked her head through an open window. "Are you Jenna, or are you still Icy Dawn?" Icy Dawn mentally rolled hed optics, sighing.

"Still Icy Dawn." She replied dryly. "Get in." Miko hopped in shotgun, and it was mostly silent in the car. "So... How are you two doing in school?"

"Jenna never would have asked us that." Miko scowled, sitting back and crossing her arms. "She would have asked if we had any escape-plans and if we needed a getaway car or distraction."

"Heh..." Icy Dawn let out a weak laugh. "You know, the more I hear about this Jenna girl, the more I get the feeling that she was quite the troublemaker."

"You have no idea." Miko sighed, shaking her head. "We used to hate each other's guts. Always arguing, always fighting... It's funny how that changed."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She may have been younger than me, but she became like some kind of mentor. Someone I could always go to if I needed to talk, someone who was always looking out for me." Miko looked at Raf, frowning. "For all of us."

"... Hey, Miko?"

"What?"

"... If Jenna - me with my memories, I mean - was here, right now, what would you say to her?"

"I'd probably yell at her for a while. Tell her she shouldn't have done what she did, tell her that she was an idiot..." Miko paused, then closed her eyes. "Then, I'd give her the silent treatment for an hour before hugging her and refusing to let her out of my sight for a week. Something like that."

"Hm." Icy Dawn hummed quietly. "I'm glad that, when I do get my memories back, I'll have a friend like you." Miko blinked, then she gave a small smile and looked down.

* * *

Icy Dawn drove up to the Darby house, and she could feel her frame tense as she examined the place. It seemed so familiar. The femme shook out of it as Jack and June walked up to her vehicle mode.

"Ratchet called to tell us that you were giving Jack a ride, today." The woman announced awkwardly. Icy Dawn willed one of the back doors open.

"Yeah." She replied as Jack climbed in. "So... I managed to remember that I used to be a fan of _RWBY, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Harry Potter_ , and stuff like that. And my hatred for Starscream returned and was reinforced ten-fold."

"Well." June gave a stiff smile. "I guess that means that you're half-way there." The two managed awkward laughs, then Icy Dawn sighed.

"Okay... Well, see ya!" With that, Icy Dawn closed her door an sped down the street. "So... Hey, Jack!" The boy crossed his arms and looked out a window, and Icy Dawn mentally frowned. "... I'll stop talking, now."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

When Icy Dawn got back to Base, she transformed and slammed her helm into a wall, letting out a noise of annoyance. Ratchet turned to look at her, frowning slightly.

"What is wrong, Icy Dawn?"

"I. Hate. Everything!" She put her back against the wall, sliding down and hugging her knees, glaring. "I'm sick and tired of not being able to remember anything! The humans hate me - they act as I'm a entirely different being from the one they knew - and everything's just so... Frustrating!"

"That's to be expected, with your condition." Ratchet chided lightly, walking over and getting down on one knee, looking at her with a frown. "These things will take time. The more stress you place on your processor, the longer it will take... But you always were so stubborn, and hard on yourself. And... Alone." Icy Dawn looked up at him, frowning.

"How do you mean?" She asked, and Ratchet blinked. Then, he sighed and sat down next to her.

"You were... Strange, when you first came to our original base." He admitted, shaking his helm. "So distrusting, saying things like 'please don't kill us'." Icy Dawn managed a small giggle. "And it wasn't long before we learned why. It turns out that the Darbys had not been your first family... Your orignal care-givers, or parents, had abandoned you when you were very young." Icy Dawn's optics widened. "And you were constantly on-guard, at Base but never truly one of us. That is, until Wheeljack came along."

"Wheeljack." Icy Dawn looked down. "He's certainly been... Bipolar." Ratchet placed a servo on her rotator-cup.

"You and Wheeljack's partnership was long and difficult. In your imprisonment at Darkmount, when he thought you had perished, he felt like you had abandoned him. As you once said to me, you promised to never leave him like all the other Wreckers had... And he pulled away from you upon your return as a techno-organic, resulting in you feeling abandoned again."

"Do all Wreckers have abandonment-issues?" Icy Dawn looked up, raising an optic-brow. Ratchet let out a quiet chuckle.

"No. Mostly just you two."

"Great." Icy Dawn looked down. "Then, I got myself killed and left him all alone, again... I don't understand why he puts up with me."

"Well..." Ratchet gave a small smile. "He cares about you very much, despite his... Attitude." Icy Dawn slowly smiled, then pulled away from Ratchet and stood, offering the mech a hand and helping him up.

"Thanks."

"I owed you one, from a long time ago." The medic admitted, giving a her light smirk. "My debt is now repaid... Optimus is the only one on the hook, now." Icy Dawn gave a small laugh, then Ratchet opened the space-bridge.

"See you 'round, Ratch." Icy Dawn saluted somewhat-mockingly, grinning. Ratchet's blue optics briefly widened, then he smiled in return.

"I'll see you around, Icy Dawn." He gave a small nod. With that, Icy Dawn stepped through the portal and returned to Cybertron.

* * *

 ** _Well, we got some insight on some others' feelings on the situation. Elita and Ratchet tried to offer some advice and help, and Icy Dawn interacted with the kids._**

 ** _It may seem like a filler chapter, but I figured that - while Wheeljack is an important part of this - Icy Dawn needs some time with the others. I'm going to be including more time with the other Autobots, Sari, and the humans so that we can get their views on all of this. Can't be all partner-drama, right? Gotta throw in some of the others characters._**

 ** _I only own my OCs! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


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